Human
by The Dark Phoenix
Summary: UPDATED AND COMPLETE!! An alternate universe where Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry have been born as living, breathing human beings. Now as fate threatens to steal them away from Otaru their only hope may lie in a man sent from their dark and troubled past...
1. Gray Eyes

Some times I wonder. I really think there might be something seriously wrong with my head. Every time I begin to write a fanfic, I always do so because I have this really weird dream. And this dream is such a different and bizarre idea, I can't help but elaborate upon it. I am still working on my first fanfic. It's a Tenchi one with a "kinda" self-insertion. It's getting long and I feel I need a slight break from the usual humdrum. This new idea, once again, came to me in a really weird dream. It's so bizarre and out of place that I feel it may make for some good reading and perhaps thinking.   
  
The basic premise is this: What would happen if Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry from Saber Marionette J were, instead of Marionettes, human? Kinda blasphemous considering the whole premise of SMJ is the fact that they are really not, well, physically not, human. I believe they are more human in their hearts and minds than most people on Terra II. Anyway, What would have happened if they were indeed human, real flesh and blood? What would have happened if Mesopotamia had destroyed itself in the high orbit above Terra II, killing everyone but those 6 men who escaped? Killing everyone, including Lorelei? How different a hand, do you think, fate would have dealt the inhabitants of Terra II? Since Mesopotamia is now gone, as is Lorelei, the whole purpose of Faust and Leyasu change. No longer are they living to save that woman, they are merely surviving to save themselves. History would have taken a drastic turn. Fate would have been much different.  
  
But I feel, that despite the transgression of timelines, the love that those three marionettes, pardon, I mean women, feel towards Otaru would not change. They would be determined to remain by his side, no matter the consequence. They would protect him no matter the cost. I don't believe that their love for Otaru was a programmed reaction built into their Maiden Circuitry, a function designed solely to ensure that they would stay near the one that wakes them until they mature. I believe when they were awoken they knew right away that this man would be the one and right then and there, true love bloomed for this hapless little man who'd done nothing but accidentally activate them. Love at first sight might be more appropriate a term. Their puppy love and their desire to help Otaru and keep him close and dear to them really and truly was love in the purest sense. Only love could have driven them to do what they did at the end of SMJ.  
  
Otaru is still there on Terra II. So are his marionettes, or so he thinks. He doesn't know what they truly are yet. They came to him suddenly one day, I'll explain how exactly a little later on. Their love is still there. Their Maiden Circuit is also there, but for a much different purpose. Remember, not only are they human now, but Lorelei is dead. Faust is around. So is Gartlant, but this is not about them. The saber dolls are around as well, once again for very different reasons. History has been changed significantly. This is no longer 200 years after but more around, perhaps 1000 years. The past has changed considerably. Time has changed considerably.   
  
Time, I suppose this is what this tale is about. Time, you see, is everything. It is a stream that envelops us all and dives the course of our actions. Time is variable. What we do decides our course in time. We live simply with those that have chosen to continue traveling this course with us. Those that have chosen to take a different path in life and follow different events have left our path in this stream by "Dying" and going on to live their lives in another branch of this time stream. This stream only flows one way. There is no going back. Our choices guide our souls. Our choices decide other's fate.  
  
This is not Saber Marionette J. This is not the SMJ that you've seen. Things are different. People are different. Places may have changed. History has changed. Purpose has changed. Lives have changed, the world has changed. But love, that driving force behind all that we do good for other people, has not. I'm interested to see how far Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry are willing to take their love for Otaru in this much different world. I am not forcing you to read this. I am not, in anyway, bashing the ideals of SMJ. Saber Marionette J is my all time favorite anime. I've never seen one with such emotion in such a spectacular ending. They gave their souls to the devil in order to save the man they loved and the planet they called home. Do not flame me and tell me that this is not how things should go. I know full well how things should "go". Don't flame me and tell me that this is simply blasphemous to the whole idea of SMJ, for you are wrong. SMJ is about survival. SMJ is about "human". SMJ is about love. I will try and fulfill these three prerequisites to the best of my ability.  
  
I don't know how this will end. I'm not sure if this will be a tragedy, if those three women will die. I'm not sure if this will have a happy ending, or one with a twist, or if it will simply have one. This is a pet project. I am simply expanding upon a dream that I had. The twists and turns this story makes will surprise both you and me. I will let this tale weave itself. Nothing is in stone except one thing - Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry still love Otaru with all their hearts, all their minds, and all their souls.   
  
  
As usual , Saber Marionette J and all its affiliated characters do not belong to me in any way. I'm not sure who created them (I could look it up, but I'm simply too lazy to do so) but who ever did so has my ultimate respect. Kudos to those Japanese guys, they really know how to weave a tale. If you have any constructive criticisms contact me at The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com . Flames will be frowned upon if they have no legitimate grounds. Think before you open your mouth. It's that simple.   
  
  
I've given this a PG-13 rating for some adult language and adult themes, nothing too severe (I hope), so go ahead and enjoy the story!  
  
I've dedicated this story to my editor and good bud, the great Vik-Man. Putting up with my crap for 6 years and you still manage to smile. Thanks dude! Shout out to Chii-Chan! ^^ Thanks for hooking me up with SMJ in the first place!  
  
  
Well... Let's get on with this, shall we?   
  
  
[NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!  
  
  
Saber Marionette J- Human  
Dark's A.U.   
Eps. 1- Gray Eyes  
"Where the end began"  
  
  
  
So close, no matter how far,  
Couldn't be much more from the heart.  
Forever trust in who we are,  
And nothing else matters.  
  
I've never opened myself this way,  
Life's desires, we live it our way.  
All these words I don't just say,  
And nothing else matters.  
  
Trust and seek and I find in you,  
Everyday for us something new.  
Open mind for a different view.  
And nothing else matters!  
  
Never cared for what they do!  
Never cared for what they know!  
But I know...  
  
So close, no matter how far,  
Couldn't be much more from the heart.  
Forever trust in who we are,  
And nothing else matters.  
  
Never cared for what they do!  
Never cared for what they know!  
But I know...  
  
Never opened my self this way,  
Life is ours, we live it our way.  
All these words I don't just say.  
And nothing else matters!  
  
Trust I seek and I find in you,  
Every day for us something new!  
Open mind for a different view.  
And nothing else matters!  
  
Never cared for what they say!  
Never cared for games they play!  
I never cared for what they do!  
I never cared for what they know!  
And I know!  
  
  
...So close, no matter how far...  
...Couldn't be much more from the heart...  
...Forever trust in who we are...  
...No nothing else matters.  
  
  
~Nothing Else Matters.  
Metallica.  
  
  
  
  
Lime smiled as she greedily began licking away at the large, yellow lollipop. It was her favorite flavor, she had near every reason in the world to smile. The candy man smiled himself and shook his head. It amazed him every time he saw her. A marionette, SMILING, of all things! It never ceased to be a source of enjoyment every time he saw her grin at him, or giggle in that cute way, or hug him whenever he gave her free candy. He always felt warm inside making that defective doll smile. She was almost human.  
  
"Would you two ladies like to have some as well?" he offered Cherry and Bloodberry. Cherry smiled her self and graciously accepted a piece from his cart. Bloodberry shook her head, but smiled nonetheless.  
  
"I guess I'm not in the mood for sweets today."   
  
Lime giggled. "Hehe, Bloodberry hasn't been in the mood for sweets since she gave Otaru that box of chocolates that turned out to be laxitiv~"  
  
She suddenly felt a heavy fist press down on her head and push her to the ground, silencing her. Bloodberry blushed and smiled nervously.   
  
"Err, umm, well! Look at the time! It's about time we started going, isn't that right, LIME?!" she said accenting her last statement with a glare to the blue haired little marionette she had pinned under her fist-o-death.  
  
Lime, totally unfazed, smiled back up at Bloodberry. "What? We have nothing to do. That's why we left home." She started to frown. "Otaru said that he'd be gone the whole day again..."  
  
Bloodberry turned an even deeper shade of red. "Err... Err... so he did, didn't he..."  
  
The candy man broke out into a deep and rapturous laughter as he watched Bloodberry dig herself into an even deeper hole than she was already in. He shook his head after his chuckles subsided.   
  
"It is all right. Here," he said drawing a long and slender piece of rock candy. It was sky blue with a small deep blue ribbon tied onto the stick. He could guess from what Lime had said what had happened. "You can give this to him as a gift if you do not want it. I'm sure he'll be unable to resist such a treat from a woman with such charm as yourself if you are sincere to him."  
  
Bloodberry was momentarily speechless as she stared at the sweet in her hand and began to blush again for a much different reason.  
  
"...Uh...uh...well- ...well thank you..."  
  
The candy man merely smiled even more broadly than before. "Think nothing of it. My job is to make people happy by providing them with gifts and treats such as these." he said motioning to his tray strapped to his shoulders and backpack filled with assorted toys and trinkets. "It makes me feel good to bring such a thing to others, especially three fine marionettes such as yourselves."  
  
Cherry bowed graciously to him and graced him with another one of her smiles. "Thank you very much, kind sir. We truly appreciate this."  
  
The candy man turned and began to walk away. "Please, think nothing of it my dears. It is always my pleasure." And with that he turned to the direction he was heading and started to call out in a loud voice advertising his presence and goods. Almost immediately several children dashed out from a few shops along the road and ran up to him. He greeted them with the same smile he'd given to the three marionettes and received their small change in exchange for his delectables. Bloodberry watched him address a small young boy who was seeking a small pinwheel off his backpack, but who found himself a few coins short. The candy man took the child's change nonetheless and gave him two of the brightest pinwheels right off of his back. They all watched as the little boy ran off smiling as broadly as he could holding the pinwheels one in each hand, letting them catch and spin wildly in the breeze.   
  
"What a kind, kind man," Cherry remarked, watching him go.  
  
Blood berry looked once again at the sky blue piece of rock candy he had given her. "Yes," she said, her expression softening a bit. "He is, isn't he?" She tucked the candy away in her pocket and turned down to Lime who was still sitting cross legged on the ground happily licking the large lollipop the man had given her, totally oblivious to everything that had just happened.   
  
"Come on you." She said trying to look as stern as she could possibly could. "We need to have that little talk about what we tell other people out in public again..."   
  
Cherry couldn't help but giggle as she watched Bloodberry drag away Lime who wasn't listening to a word she was saying. It was indeed another fine day in Japoness.  
  
  
  
  
"Now, now sir..." the attendant said rather nervously. "If you are not going to buy anything I must ask you to leave."  
  
"Oh?" the young man said turning. He met the attendant's eyes with his own soft, gray ones. The attendant couldn't help but feel a slight chill as the man frowned at him. "All I seek is to sit here on this fine bench, out in the beautiful sunlight and enjoy the air and atmosphere that is all around us and you seek to drive me from this warm place solely because I do not purchase an item from your vendor? This indeed is very grave."   
  
The attendant swallowed and was about to say something (he wasn't sure what himself) when the young man shook his head and continued. "No matter. I will purchase one your goods if that will allow me a spot on your bench. What do you have to offer?"  
  
"Uh, d-drinks sir."  
  
"Drinks, eh? Perhaps this is for the best then. I could use a soothing drop or two. Have you any Soonjan?"  
  
"S-Soonjan?" the attendant looked at the young man incredulously for a moment despite his uneasiness. "Sir, the plant spice that is used to ferment and sweeten that drink has long since gone extinct. There hasn't been any Soonjan for hundreds of years!"  
  
"Oh, damn!" the young man said shaking his head. "What else have you then?"  
  
"Er... Sake is popular-" he stopped as the man hissed a bit and scowled at him.  
  
"Sake! Hmph. Such a poor drink indeed. If that is all that you have guess then I have no other choice! Bring me your best, and I mean your best, or you will be a very sorry little man."  
  
"Y-yes sir!" the attendant ran off behind the curtain that led to his back room and left the young man on the bench. The man looked to be about 25 - 26 years old. He had rather long, thick brown hair that he kept for the most part hidden under his long hood and cloak. Both were a dark brown and looked slightly tattered and weather-beaten. The man looked as if he had not shaved in a few days and his stubble was growing long. He removed his hood and leaned back on the bench of the outdoor drink vendor, basking in the sunlight. A moment later the attendant came back carrying a large bottle with the label "SAKE" printed on it.   
  
"Here sir," he said putting the bottle on the low table that had been set up next to the bench. "This is the best we have."   
  
The man grunted and popped the stopper free from the bottle. He grabbed a glass and poured himself a bit of the contents. The attendant held his breath a bit as the man took a sip. A moment later he looked up with his gray eyes, smiled, and nodded. The attendant smiled in return and left to go back behind the curtains again. He collapsed in the back storage room and let his breath out in one big gush. He didn't know why this man made him feel this way, but there was something... dangerous about him. He wasn't like most ruffians or roughnecks that could be found wandering in. He seemed more... more.... deadly than the others. The attendant regained his breath and shook his head. This job was becoming too much... he needed a drink.  
  
  
  
The man on the bench outside smiled a bit and closed his eyes. This wasn't bad alcohol at all. If this is what sake was nowadays, perhaps he should have re-thought his old ideas of what a good drink should be like. The young man seemed to be a very odd fellow. He apparently came from nowhere and it seemed that he was headed back in the same direction. He'd wandered into the city from the badlands right in the middle of a raging plasma storm and scared the crap out of the guards who had been standing watch. They raged at him for his stupidity of being out in such a place on such a night, but the man, Gray Eyes, simply waved them off and continued into town. He'd spent the last few nights staying in alleyways and under bridges waiting out the cold and the darkness. What he was seeking rarely came out in the dark. In the day he drew much attention to himself. It was strange to see any man wearing such clothing in the city. He was covered from head to toe in his dark brown cloak, with dull black boots peeking out when ever he stepped forward. He could have been a mistaken for a monk if not for the short sleeves on the cloak that revealed the sleeves of a gray uniform of some sort and the small knife he had strapped to his shoulder. When he sat the cloak opened and any one watching could see the rest of the uniform through the loose folds. What he was doing in Japoness, no one really knew. Most really didn't care. Strangers were uncommon, but not unheard of there. The men would simply stare at the slim figure moving his way through the crowds in the odd clothes and got on with their own business. Such a man was no concern of their own.  
  
Now, he simply sat there on that bench, sipping some of the Sake that had been provided and looked up into the bright and sunny sky. Closing his eyes he face broke into a smile. It was indeed a fine day in Japoness.  
  
  
  
Otaru spat and cursed under his load. His seemingly never-ending quest for money had brought him to an old marionette repair shop. It was an old store run by an even older man. Otaru had the unique job of doing everything the very old geriatric could not. These tasks included carrying the broken marionettes and their parts to and from the storage room, delivering them to their respective owners, holding back the messy/dirty/electrically hot/sharp parts so that his boss could probe and work on the dolls without their interference and doing what ever else the old man tasked him with. Right now he was bent over double under a rather large marionette strapped to his back inside the dark workroom. It was a rather smallish room lined from floor to ceiling with old parts, marionettes and what ever other pieces of junk the old man pack-ratted away. There was a large worktable in the center with a small work lamp hanging just above. With a grunt, Otaru maneuvered his load over to it and set the thing down.  
  
The thin old man turned on his lamp over the marionette and began to examine it. Otaru stretched out and cracked his back. Older models were always heavier than anything else. His employer looked over the top of his spectacles at Otaru and frowned.  
  
"Are you already tired, Otaru?" he said in an aging, cracked voice that every old man in Japoness seemed to have.  
  
Otaru cracked a smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Eh, no, not really. I'm fine."  
  
"Nonsense." said the old man, picking up some of his work tools. "I may be old, but I am not blind. Go ahead and rest in the front room, or outside boy. I will call upon you if I need anything."  
  
"Thank you sir." Otaru said bowing once before heading out. He decided to go outside and sat down under the shop overhang and rested. It had been a long day. That was the third marionette he had to transport in as many hours. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package Cherry had given him before he left. Opening it, he began to munch on the contents. They were the little pickle slices he had come to love. He poured him self a small cup of water from the fountain beside him and sat there letting the warm sun shine on his face.   
  
'Cherry's cooking is second to none.' he thought to himself. There were few pleasures he enjoyed more than a nice warm meal provided by her. It was refreshing for him to go home and to find his apartment filled with the smell of freshly made food.  
  
'Heheh, It's great going home to find anybody other than Hanagata there!' he chuckled to himself. That guy really creeped Otaru out. He was madly in love with Otaru and for   
some reason Otaru didn't have the same feelings in return. He'd never seemed to swing that way his entire life. He couldn't really figure out why. Most men on this planet were like Hanagata, but Otaru seemed to be the queer one, the one that was different from the rest. Since he'd gotten his three marionettes the term "Marionette Lover" had been whispered more than once while he was around. Before the dolls came into his life, he would have violently defended himself against such a comment- being a marionette lover was about as socially popular as prostitution (which should tell you a lot about an all male society). But since he received them into his care he really stopped caring. He knew himself that he cared for them, it was obvious. Their charm and color could not be found anywhere else. Old Gennai said that they were defective, and they should be looked at or destroyed, but Otaru thought differently. To him they weren't defective, they were perfect. Each of them was different, they each had a different personality, a different quality that made them special. They smiled, laughed, cried and got angry. He'd never seen any other marionette do that. In his opinion if that was what defective was, then they need to change the rules.  
  
But they always had a knack for getting into trouble. Especially Lime. Otaru smiled to himself as he thought about her. She seemed so young and innocent. She was the one who always made the mistakes, always got in trouble and always managed to cost Otaru the most money. But she was also the one Otaru seemed most fond of. Her innocence, her childish smile, the way she giggled and hung on to him every moment she could; they were all traits he loved about her.   
  
Not that Otaru specifically loved her more than the other two. They all were special to him in their own ways. Cherry had this charm and this meekness that always stood her apart from the other two. While Lime and Bloodberry were showing off or fighting Cherry was always the one on the side. She never fought, she never got in trouble, she was always polite, kind and courteous. She cooked, cleaned, washed and even shopped. If Otaru knew what it was like to have a mother, she could have been the one he never had.   
  
And then there was Bloodberry. She was the bold one out of the group. She was always very straightforward. She never lied, she never tarnished the truth, she was probably the most honest out of all of them. She had a sense of honor, like a warrior, and it showed. Out of the three she was the strongest, the wildest, and the most open. More than once she had hinted darkly at "spending the night" in Otaru's futon. He wasn't sure exactly what she meant seeing as they were marionettes, but by the reaction from Cherry and Lime he was sure it was something taboo, a guilty pleasure of some sort...   
  
In a fight, though, there were few others that Otaru would rather have at his side. Bloodberry was the best combat marionette in all of Japoness. It was her gift. Many a saber marionette had met their fate at the hands of Otaru's 'defective' war machine. He'd won many a bet with her and trusted her fighting instinct. Once in a while she made him a lot of money on those fights. To date, she'd never been scratched.  
  
Cherry had her own gift. She had some sort of sixth sense in combat that Otaru'd never seen before. She could judge the movement and abilities of her targets and exploit their weaknesses, even before they moved. She could judge and determine when to strike and when to hold back better than any other marionette around. She too was 'defective' as labeled by the others, but she could out think, out smart and out fight just about any marionette about. Where Bloodberry was brawn and power, Cherry was wits and skill.  
  
Then there was Lime. Lime was by far the fastest out of all of them. She could run circles around speeding bullets. Her agility and speed were unmatched. Frankly Otaru figured she needed the speed. Whenever she managed to infuriate Bloodberry enough, her speed was pretty much what kept her alive until either Bloodberry gave up the chase or Otaru managed to drag her down. Lime could outrun cars, out chase trains and spin circles around just about living or mechanical thing in Japoness. He'd seen Lime duck out of the way of gunfire, cannon fire, laser fire and even a structure fire. She could jump the highest, swim the fastest and, when her blood was boiled, survive the longest in a fight. One time she'd been hit head on with a very large semi-truck trying to defend Otaru while Cherry and Bloodberry were away. What should have killed her and torn her to pieces didn't. She held herself in front of the truck and brought the whole thing to a stop with nary a scratch to herself over a city block away.  
  
Otaru finished the package of pickles and licked his fingers clean. He missed those three. If he was a marionette lover then so be it. If this is what it felt like to fall in love with a doll then this was just how things were going to be. No one dared press him about it. Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry could easily take care of anybody that mentioned anything about that. Everyone in Japoness knew to regard those marionettes as if they were real humans. They had very real tempers just like anyone else. Truth be told, most people liked them very much. No marionette around ever smiled. Many other men were charmed by those three for reasons unknown even to themselves. There was something about the way they walked, the way they talked, and the way they smiled. Most men felt a pleasant chill whenever a kind grin was beamed in their direction from those three 'defective' dolls.   
  
The term 'most men' is used simply because there were a few who dislike Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry. Hanagata is one of their type. While he didn't really HATE them, he couldn't help but take a disliking to them. They are, after all, after the same affection he himself is seeking from Otaru. Then there are others who have a more venomous hatred towards them. To them, Otaru's dolls were no more than insignificant marionettes who'd simply fried their circuits and now run amok among the masses as upstarts or freaks. But they, for the most part, are quiet. They know that the whole of Japoness is against them. They also know that to confront these machines with ill intentions, while is not death, is complete and utter humiliation. It is these people that whisper behind Otaru's back. Now a days he simply ignores them. Those words mean nothing to him. They are from the ignorant and the minority.   
  
He tucked the packet away and closed his eyes to the warm sunlight. The birds were singing happily in the breeze, the sky was a crystal blue with no signs of plasma clouds on any of the horizons, and the sun was bright and full. A happy mood prevailed over all of Japoness. All was at peace, all was well. Some children played happily along the road while workers and the odd marionette passed happily by.   
  
Suddenly Otaru heard the old man calling him from the inside. His break was already over. Sighing, he stood and brushed himself off. Looking back up he grinned into the cerulean skies. It was indeed another fine day in Japoness.  
  
  
  
The young man with the gray eyes was on his fourth or fifth glass of the fine Sake when he over heard something peculiar. A moment before, two men had taken a seat not far from him and began to have a hushed conversation. They huddled close together and carried on what seemed to be a quiet argument. Being naturally nosy he cocked an ear and an eye. What he heard surprised him.  
  
  
"Are you sure 'bout this? What happens if that little one becomes wise to what we are doing?"  
  
"As long as we keep a straight face she wont know anything."  
  
The young man with gray eyes leaned over slightly. 'She?'  
  
"But just what if? She can sense an orange blossom's moves even before it makes them! What if she sees us and just, you know... KNOWS, like she always does?"  
  
"Then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't SEE us then, ne?"  
  
"What? We approach her from behind?"  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"Ahhh, Ok. Which one to we take care of first?"  
  
"I think the fast one."  
  
"The fast one? Isn't that bitchy 'tank' more of a threat to us?"  
  
"They're all a threat to us. But we have to think logically about this. If we stand back far enough we'll be able to plug two rounds into the speedy one's starry-eyed skull. We can then destroy the other two before they even reach us. If we kill the tank or the friggin' psychic one, that little speed demon will be on us before we even know it."  
  
The gray-eyed fellow poured himself another cup. These fools were muttering rather loudly in public about an assassination. He guessed they weren't too bright.  
  
"That'll be the last time they ever make a fool out of me."  
  
"And you aren't worried about their lover pressing charges?"  
  
"They aren't human. He can't press murder charges. They are simply defective marionettes. We may have to pay their worth, but I have rich friends that want to see them gone. They're a mockery to us men! I'm not worried about what happens after."  
  
"A-all right man. What ever you say. I'll be right behind you."  
  
They paused for a second.  
  
"Did you bring them?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Gray Eyes saw one of the men pull an object out of his coat through the corner of his eye. He couldn't tell exactly what it was but had a pretty good idea.  
  
"Cht! You fool!" the other man hissed loudly. "Put that away! Don't pull it out until we're ready! Do you have the other one?!"  
  
"Yea-Yeah, right here. Cool it man, we'll be all right. No one around here cares any. We'll be fine."  
  
"Nonetheless, you moron, watch your self! I don't want to be caught 'fore we actually do anything!"  
  
"Ok, ok."   
  
They sat there a minute in silence and Gray Eyes poured himself another cup. This will be interesting. He decided to check this out. They may just lead him to what he was...  
  
"You ready?" The man on the right said cutting Gray Eye's thoughts short.  
  
The other man nodded. "Hai! Let's get this over with!"  
  
"Yes, lets."  
  
They both rose, threw a few coins on the counter (totally forgetting that they purchased nothing) and walked back into the street. Gray Eyes finished his cup and sat a moment. This indeed would be interesting. He wasn't one to change the course of fate, but if those women were the 'ones' he would have to make an exception. Humanity was more important than fate. Standing, he turned his cup over on the bottle and pulled a gold coin out of his pocket and planted it on the counter. He picked up the coins left by the two men, examined them a moment, and deposited them into his pocket. With out a word he pulled his hood back up and left the drink stand. The attendant in back would come out a few moments later to find nearly half the bottle of Sake empty and the gold coin, worth three times as much as the whole bottle, still resting on the counter.  
  
  
  
  
Gray Eyes watched his steps and followed the two men as they walked stiffly along the streets of Japoness, obviously looking for something. He kept his distance as to not let the onlookers staring at him get the attention of either of the men. All along the street he saw various men and boys walking, he also saw, strangely enough, women; or rather, women robots. They'd surprised him at first. Some seemed to be real. But once he took a harder look he realized these were no more than mere manikins. They were simply machines designed to look like real women. He'd never encountered such things before, but as he thought, they began to make sense. Despite his surroundings, man still had his most basic of instincts and these dolls were merely reflections of that instinct.  
  
Even still, it caused him to turn his head every time he encountered one. He could almost see one smile. Or another wink at him. ...Almost.  
  
Suddenly a noise in front of him caught his attention. He found himself nearly running into the two men he was stalking and cursed under his breath. He stopped half way through the street and simply stared at what he saw before him. There were three marionettes walking down the street in front of them heading in his direction. They were dressed in bright, colorful outfits, each with their own flare and color. Even more stunning... they were smiling.  
  
Gray Eyes looked twice. Not just smiling, he saw, but genuinely happy! They were walking and talking and grinning and waving and smiling back at all the men who were waving and shouting to them. When they laughed their whole faces lit up in beautiful smiles and sweet music flowed forth. He swallowed and simply stared as they walked toward him. He'd never seen a woman in his life before he arrived in Japoness much less ever seen one smile. He could feel something deep within himself turn and throb as he gazed upon them for the first time. His eyes started at their feet and slowly rose taking in every curve he could see, every smooth spot of skin he could catch, every lock of their hair that seemed to fall majestically from their heads. When he saw their eyes, he just about melted. The marionette's eyed were gorgeous. Each one so different yet so beautiful, their colors and shades reflecting in the light.  
  
Just as they passed him, the young one; the one with the shimmering blue hair and the yellow bandanna holding it down; the one sucking happily on a half finished, large, yellow lollipop; caught him staring under his hood. She met his eyes with her own and giggled for a moment. Gray Eyes felt pure electricity flow through his body. She smiled to him and waved just as they passed by. It was from that moment on, till the end of his days, that Gray Eyes would forever shun other men as possible partners. The fairer sex had indeed captured him and he, forever on, became a woman hunter.   
  
When he finally regained his breath he found himself asking "Who are those women..."  
  
A short, grizzled man standing beside him thought the question was aimed at him. "What? You mean those Marionettes? Don't you know them? Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry. They're Otaru's."  
  
Gray Eyes turned his gaze to the man beside him. "O-Otaru?"  
  
"Yeah, Mamiya Otaru. I'd say he's the luckiest guy in Japoness."  
  
Gray Eyes was silent as he stared after the trio walking away.  
  
"He owns them?"  
  
"Yes sir. He's the lucky one. Hell I'd be a Marionette lover as well if I lived with those three. Look at the ass on that tall one there. Oh my lord, I'd love to take her to bed one night."  
  
Gray Eyes looked at the fellow beside him with a look of mixed disgust. "T-take her to bed?!" He couldn't even dream of defiling one of those women in such a way. To even touch one might be crossing the line. Nevertheless he still found his eyes trailing up the legs of the marionettes and staring right at those two soft, beautiful...  
  
  
He felt something tickling in his nose and reached up to find he was having a small nosebleed!  
  
  
He sniffed quickly and looked up at the three goddesses walking into the distance. What was happening to him? He'd never felt this way about any one or any THING before. It felt so new to him, but in a way so good. He felt warm just looking at them.  
  
...Just looking at them...  
  
Once again his eyes traced along every curve of their bodies and a dreamy smile filled his face. He felt the heat return and swallowed once again. Suddenly something stepped in front of his view blocking them. It was the two men who he had been following before. One of them had his arm outstretched and was holding something in it. It suddenly hit him why he had been out this way to begin with. They were going to kill them! Before he knew what he was really doing he was running towards them screaming at the top of his lungs.  
  
"NO!! NOOOOO!!!"  
  
Cherry picked up his voice almost immediately and turned to see what was happening. Lime and Bloodberry continued on oblivious to what was about to happen. Cherry's combat system kicked in as soon as her gaze fell upon the gun inside the palm of one of the men. It didn't take her sensitive combat analyzer to tell her those bullets loaded in those chambers were intended for them.  
  
"Bloodberry!! Lime!!! Watch out!!"  
  
  
In that instant Bloodberry and Lime turned several things happened at once. Cherry dropped to the ground as fast as gravity would let her. Bloodberry saw the men and the weapon and came straight to attention while Lime, who had also seen the gun, and began to twist her body out of the way. Gray Eyes reached the men, and the man with the gun pulled the trigger.  
  
  
In a moment the shot echoed through out the street. The instant Gray Eyes realized the man had fired he went into a rage. With a scream of fury he grabbed the his outstretched arm from behind and twisted it around while slamming his other fist right into the man's kidneys. With a scream the man dropped the gun and fell to his knees. Gray Eyes clamped down even harder onto his forearm and in one smooth motion flipped the man high into the air behind him. Gray Eyes locked his cold eyes onto his partner and in an instant the other man lost his nerve. With a strangled sob he took off away from Gray Eyes...straight into the waiting arms of Bloodberry...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Bloodberry left the man trying to pull his head out of the wall and turned her attention toward Lime and Cherry, who were still on the ground. Gray Eyes was already there crouched beside the marionettes. Cherry was fine, she hit the floor faster than any of them. Lime, on the other hand, hadn't been quite as lucky. She held her hand over her left arm near the shoulder and was whimpering a bit. When the man fired Lime's reaction time and speed saved her life. The bullet merely grazed her upper arm, but what Gray Eyes saw coming from there made him stop. Seeping slowly through Lime's fingers he could see rivulets of blood. Lime was bleeding.   
  
...machines don't bleed...  
  
This fact quickly registered in Gray Eye's mind. Quickly, almost automatically, he shed his cloak and hood and placed them around Lime. The Marionette felt something heavy cover her shoulders and turned to see the man she had been smiling at moments before putting his cloak over her, quickly covering her bleeding arm.  
  
Suddenly everyone who had been standing by came up in a rush to see what had happened. They all crowded around the downed Marionette and began to prod her with questions. Almost immediately Bloodberry was in the fray yelling at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Hey, HEY!! HEY, EVERYONE!! HEEY!!!!" She waited until everyone had quieted down before she continued. "Everyone, Lime is fine! She is ok-"  
  
Suddenly a man pointed to the ground and exclaimed. "Oh LOOK! Blood!! Lime's been hit!!"  
  
Everyone there took a step back about to agree with him, but suddenly realized Lime wasn't human. How could she bleed? Gray Eyes looked at the ground and saw the drops. He reached over and began to clasp his shoulder.   
  
"She can't bleed you idiot!" he yelled up at him. "I'm the one that's been hit!"   
  
Cherry looked up from Lime, Lime turned her head and Bloodberry knelt down beside him.  
  
"What?" one man exclaimed. " But there was only one shot fired. How-"  
  
Gray Eyes cut him off. "How?! Look at me! I've been shot you imbecile!" He moved his hand to reveal a deep, moderately bleeding wound in his arm. Cherry and Bloodberry exchanged looks for a brief instant before Bloodberry rose.  
  
"All right! Everyone move out of the way! We need to get this guy off of the street!"  
  
"What about Lime?" one man exclaimed.   
  
Gray Eyes grunted as he rose. "Lime looks like she's in shock. We need to get her away from all you people and into some fresh air!"  
  
Everyone took a stop back. What was that? Cherry stood catching on to what was happening.  
  
"Please, Everyone, you can't crowd her, she needs room. We need to take her home!"   
  
Bloodberry seemed to catch on as well and stood up to her full height. "All right, everyone get the hell outta the way. We have a sick Marionette here! We need to take her home!"  
  
A few men looked a little indignant. "What?! How dare you order us around! Know your place Marionette!"  
  
Bloodberry was about to retort when Gray Eyes rose supporting Lime up with him. There was fire once again in his cool eyes.  
  
"She may only be a doll but I am a real flesh and blood man and I will rip your heart from your body if you talk to her like that again." The one who had spoken up stood there stunned. A man defending a marionette like that? Gray Eyes reached out and took hold of the man's collar. "I am telling YOU to get out of the way... Now move it!" The man swallowed and decided it was probably better to simply step out of the way than mess with this newcomer. The image of what Grey Eyes did to the man who fired the gun was still fresh on his mind. Gray Eyes had twisted his arm well out of its socket and tossed him high into the air as if we weighed nothing. The man landed funny nearly crushing his other shoulder.  
  
Gray Eyes started to walk out when another man began to drive through the crowd in a large truck honking loudly. He called out to the three Marionettes.   
  
"Hey! Hey move your asses! Quit blockin' the road!! The hell's going on here?!"  
  
Cherry called over to him. "Sir! Sir! Our friend here is sick and needs to go back to our home!"  
  
"Eh? Cherry? Sure! You girls can use my pickup to get back!"  
  
Cherry smiled. "Thank you sir!"  
  
He grinned back at her. "No problem ma'am. Hop in back! You too fellow. Ya look like you're bleeding pretty badly. I'd better get you to the hospital."  
  
"I'll be fine," he said helping Lime into the back of the truck and then helping Cherry. "It won't be bleeding much longer. You just make sure you get this woman home! Got it?"  
  
"What?!" The man said incredulously. "You're not coming."  
  
"No, I've got other business. Get going! Now!"  
  
"Nonsense." Bloodberry said calmly picking him up by the back of his shirt and tossing him into the truck. "You're coming with us."   
  
Before Gray Eyes had a chance to protest she'd jumped in with him and motioned for the driver to move it and within moments they were away.  
  
  
  
When they were all back safe at Otaru's apartment, Cherry shut the door tightly and removed the cloak from over Lime's shoulders. She was still bleeding through her fingers. Bloodberry sat down on Lime's other side.  
  
"You all right Lime?"  
  
Lime sniffed a bit but smiled anyway. "Hurts a bit."  
  
Cherry shook her head. "I should imagine. This nick is rather deep. You almost got seriously hurt today Lime."  
  
Lime giggled as best she could under Cherry's administrations. " I always almost get hurt. S'nothing. OUCH! Cherry~"  
  
Cherry began to dab and clean the wound. Bloodberry squeezed Lime's hand. "Even still, you lucked-out. That was close."  
  
Gray Eyes stood just inside the front door step and shuffled a bit nervously. He realized what he had just done, what he had just said and where he now was and that feeling of warmth had not only returned to his body, it spread. Ever since that man had mentioned taking one of these women to bed he felt this warm stirring in his loins. He wasn't sure of what to do or say. This was a totally new experience for him. He'd not only gazed upon the three most beautiful beings ever created, he'd saved their lives and even TOUCHED one, and now he was getting an unwelcome hard-on from it. He swallowed and stood by nervously watching the three goddesses tending to one another.   
  
Bloodberry rose and turned to him. "Oh, you're still standing there. Come in! Please, Take a seat!"  
  
Gray Eyes blushed a bit as Bloodberry pulled a chair up for him to sit on. "N-no, It's, It's, Y-you don't..." he stammered. Bloodberry seemed to notice his nervousness and smiled.  
  
"Just take a seat before twist your tongue into knot."  
  
Gray Eyes blushed even more and meekly took a seat. It took Cherry a few more minutes to tend to Lime's wound. After getting over the initial shock of someone trying to kill her, Lime went right back to her old self. She was complaining because in the course of the mess she had dropped her unfinished lollipop in the dust. When Cherry finished Lime had a large white cloth bandage over the wound.   
  
"Hopefully," Cherry said, "The would will heal in a few hours. We never take very long to heal."  
  
Lime tested her arm, spinning it around before finally smiling at Cherry.   
  
"Mmm, Thank you Cherry!"  
  
Cherry smiled in return. She stood and turned to Gray Eyes. "Now it's your turn."  
  
He looked back into her eyes and began to sweat. Oh no...  
  
"I believe we owe you a word of thanks," Cherry said examining his arm. She didn't seem to notice that the gray-eyed young man was in the verge of pissing in his pants from her soft administrations. "You saved our lives back there, especially Lime's."  
  
Gray Eyes was silent as he felt the sting of Cherry's anti-biotic dab his arm.  
  
Bloodberry went into the kitchen and began to rummage through one of the cupboards.   
  
"Bloodberry, you'd better not mess up anything in there. I just got those things straightened up this morning!" Cherry said turning her head and calling to Bloodberry.  
  
"Yeah!" Bloodberry said calling back out. Lime leaned forward and watched Cherry work on Grey Eye's wound. Unwittingly she placed her hand on his leg for support. Both of them noticed his body instantly tense up. Lime looked at him oddly.  
  
"Oro? Are you ok?"  
  
Gray Eyes did his best to crack a smile. "Y-y-y-yes-s-s-...muh-muh-muh-ma'am..." he said sweating badly. Lime looked at him oddly for another moment and then grinned knowingly to Cherry. She smiled slightly as well.  
  
"Lime, don't play around with him like that!"  
  
"Hehe" Lime chuckled moments before she pounced on the man hugging him tightly. "Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you~"  
  
And for Gray Eyes everything seemed to stop. Lime clutched him tightly and a million feelings and emotions seemed to pass through his body. All his senses seemed to over load from her own little body. The first thing he noticed was her warmth, then the perfume she was wearing, the sweet smell of her hair, the softness of her skin, her breath on his ears, her heartbeat through her clothes, her sweet voice, her smiling face, and pressed upon his chest her two...  
  
Lime quit holding him like that when she realized he'd gone limp in her arms and that he seemed to have sprung a strange, red leak from somewhere else....  
  
  
  
  
Cherry was almost finished when she found something very strange about the man she was working on.   
  
"What is this?" she said leaning forward, taking a better look at his arm.  
  
  
"Eh? What is what?" Gray Eyes said looking down.  
  
Cherry looked closer and poked at something in his wound. Grey Eyes yelped loudly when she did so.  
  
"It looks like a thin piece of wire... Here let me pull it out."  
  
"Eh?! What?!" Gray Eyes said panicking. "No! Nonono Wait! Please ma'am, you don't have to-"  
  
But he was too late. Cherry grabbed the wire pulled on it hard.  
  
"GEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!!!!!"  
  
  
  
Deep in the heart of Gartlant a homeless man in a deep sleep woke very suddenly. Did he just hear someone scream? He cocked an ear but heard nothing further. He shrugged and settled back down. Must have been his imagination.  
  
  
Gray Eyes exploded from his seat and stood cradling his inflamed arm.  
  
"MA'AM!" he said doing his best to restrain the sound of pain in his voice. "PLEASE!! I told you it was fine!"   
  
Cherry looked stunned for a minute. Lime and Bloodberry merely stood there looking shocked. Gray Eyes cussed and looked down at his arm bleeding anew. Cherry had pulled the wire half way out. It was useless now, He'd have to finish removing it and let it grow back in time...  
  
He cussed once more and took hold of the it. Cherry watched his face twist in pain.  
  
"Uhh...sir, Please I think that would be unwise..." She trailed off as Gray Eyes began to grunt with agony. He was pulling the thin wire out of his arm. Lime could see tears forming in the corner of his eyes. His breath became hoarse and ragged. Sweat rolled off his face and blood flowed from his arm in thin rivulets dripping on to the hard, wooden floor.  
  
With a final grunt he pulled the thin piece of wire free from his arm. He opened his eyes a bit and let the tears roll free from them. Bloodberry could see the whites of his gray eyes stained red from the salt in his tears. He fixed his gaze onto Cherry and despite the pain, smiled slightly.   
  
"Ma'am, please. Next time be a little bit more careful."   
  
  
"And who do we owe our thanks to? I don't believe we've gotten your name yet." Bloodberry said raising her glass. After the wire, Grey Eyes was bandaged up properly and given a drink to calm his nerves a bit. Cherry cleaned up the blood that had dripped onto the floor with a smile despite Gray Eye's objection that he would do it himself. They all sat down afterwards and poured themselves something to drink. Cherry and Lime opted for tea while Bloodberry and Gray Eyes went for some Sake.  
  
"My name?" Gray eyes said. "I don't think my name is very important."  
  
"Ohh~" Lime whined a bit. "I wanna know your name."  
  
"Yes, please, It's important to us."  
  
"Come on~ You can tell us. We'd like to know who our hero is!"  
  
Gray Eyes blushed and closed them. Hero? Him? He sighed and finally seemed to relent.  
  
"I am called Keinaro. Hajima, Keinaro."  
  
Bloodberry and Cherry stopped in mid sip and exchanged glances.  
  
"...Ke....Keinaro? I haven't heard a first name like that..."  
  
"In a very long time..." Keinaro said finishing Cherry's statement. "I know. It's an old name not used anymore."  
  
Lime giggled. "Keinaro, I like that name."  
  
Cherry and Bloodberry once again exchanged very serious glances.  
  
"Where are you from Keinaro?"  
  
"Naro, please. Naro is shorter."  
  
"Err... Naro. Where do you come from?"  
  
Naro took a sip before answering. "Well...Someplace very, very far away."  
  
"Oro? Gartlant? New Texas? Petersburg?" Lime said curiously.  
  
"No..." Naro said averting his eyes. "Let's just say that I'm a wanderer and leave it at that."  
  
Cherry nodded slowly and poured herself another glass. "Would you like some more drink Keinaro-san?"  
  
He nodded with a smile. "Yes please, ma'am." and offered his glass.  
  
While she was filling his cup Bloodberry spoke up. "Well Naro, We thank you for calling out and giving us warning like that."  
  
Naro blushed as Cherry and Lime extended their thanks as well.  
  
"Please," he said turning crimson. "Don't mention it. It is the first time I have ever seen women such as yourselves. I..." He trailed off a moment. He knew exactly what he was about to say, and the logical part of his mind screamed at him to stop. As with any man in his position, logic was given a fat boot out the door.   
  
"...Where I come from, we don't have marionettes. We don't have pictures. I've never known what a woman looked like until I arrived here. I was told they were like men only they had two bags hanging from their chests and their organs designed for reproduction were all on the inside of their bodies. We've been taught that women of old were vain, preening bitches. That their sole purpose was to attach themselves to a man and force him to support them until the very day they die. That they had no social value what so ever, except for an exquisite physical pleasure that only they can bring."  
  
Bloodberry chuckled at his, Lime grinned, and Cherry blushed. "When I first arrived here, I saw those robots walking around. I saw those marionettes. When I first cast my eye upon them, I didn't know what to make of them. When I looked a little closer, however, I found that they were what those men from where I came from called woman and I couldn't believe myself. I thought, there are WOMEN in this place?! Real live WOMEN?! But as I traveled about, I saw that none of them smiled. None of them showed any form or trace of emotion. They all were totally blank, like their minds were a slate wiped clean of any thought. It wasn't until I went through a back alley one day that I realized the truth. I saw one of them laying on the ground in a cold puddle of water, her insides all pulled out. I ran to her thinking she was grievously wounded, but when I examined her, I found only machine parts, and I learned they were not women. They were only machines."  
  
"It was a marionette." Lime said somberly. "They look like women but they aren't real. They don't ever do anything. They never play, they never smile, they're never happy."  
  
"Indeed." Keinaro smiled. "I learned this and was somewhat shocked and somewhat disgusted. I wondered why men of this era would even conceive of making such a creation. All the marionettes I saw there after I found to be cold, heartless machines with only a pretty face. But as I thought about it, it began to make much more sense to me.  
  
" 'This is a world of men' I thought, ' So it would make sense that they would create that which they more desire.' I guess despite the evil that was woman, man still yearned for her and that pleasure which she brings. I began to understand the direness of this place. I realized that I had come to a land where only dreams moved about the streets. Where only memories of past loves and lives wandered about in mechanical bodies. I thought that I had come to the wrong land." he trailed.  
  
Cherry spoke up. "Wrong land? What were you seeking?"  
  
Keinaro looked at her and smiled softly. "It doesn't matter right now. Everything I had thought of this place and of it's people changed when I saw you three for the first time this afternoon."  
  
He took a sip and cleared his throat. "I'd never seen anything like you three before. I was shocked. The first thing I think I saw were your smiles. When I saw them everything changed. I was utterly shocked to see such a thing. You three smiling and laughing and genuinely happy and...and..." he trailed off again averting his eyes away from the three marionettes. "...I felt, I felt... I felt something warm inside me grow. It was... was so new to me. Like a burning deep in my chest. I saw you three being so human and smiling so broadly and I felt something change. It was the first time I ever saw women, real live women. I was so unprepared. It hit me like a thunderbolt. I saw...I saw these angels walking along the street. They were so beautiful to look at. It was the way they moved when they walked, the way their faces lit up when ever they smiled, just their whole fluidity, it moved me so. I've never seen such grace and loveliness in a singular body before. I can understand now why men yearned the way they did for your species."  
  
He shook his head and met each one of their gazes. "You three, you three are the most beautiful things I have ever laid my eyes on."  
  
There was a moment of silence as he stopped and finished his glass. None of the three marionettes quite knew what to say. No one with the exception of Otaru had ever said that to them. Bloodberry and Cherry simply stared into their glasses blushing slightly, but Lime smiled widely.  
  
"Hehe, thank you~ You're so sweet!"  
  
"Geh..." Naro said blushing deeply himself. "I...I mean that. I've never told anyone this before simply because...well, I've never felt this way about anyone like this before. Sure I've seen my fair share of handsome men before...but nothing like you three women. Nothing! When I saw you something changed in me, I think. I think, something deep down has changed itself, deeply. I don't think I could ever go back to another man, no not ever. Not after I've seen you."  
  
Cherry blinked. This guy was more forward than they first thought. She smiled nevertheless and placed her hand over his. "Please, your embarrassing us. You don't need to say any more."  
  
Naro looked down at her hand over his and swallowed. Cherry was surprised when he placed his other one over hers. He blushed and met her gaze once again. "D-do you mind? I've ne-never felt a... a...."  
  
Cherry breathed in and narrowed her eyes. What was he asking? He couldn't really mean...  
  
Slowly, she nodded her head. Gently Naro took her hand in his and held it. Lime and Bloodberry watched as Naro felt along the cracks and bumps in her palm and along the joints in her wrist and up her arm. She was so warm. He could still feel the sweat form in the pit of her palm. But she was so smooth, so exquisite. She felt too real to be actually there. Her nails were finely cut and gently manicured. He'd never seen anyone's nails like that before. Her skin was much, much softer than he had first imagined. It was like silk to him. No one he'd ever touched had felt like this. No one. He felt her arm up until her elbow before he finally lost his nerve and let go looking down and blushing profusely.  
  
Cherry pulled her hand back and rubbed it softly inside the sleeves of her clothes, blushing slightly. Keinaro sat there awkwardly with his own hands in his lap. That is, he sat there until Lime jumped out of her spot and pounced on him bowling him over yelling, "ME NEXT! ME NEXT! ME NEXT!"  
  
  
  
  
After they sent Lime to play outside and run some errands Cherry, Bloodberry and Keinaro resumed their seats and their drinking. Keinaro swallowed and looked shyly up at Cherry.  
  
"Er, erm, Cherry, ma'am, I- I'm very sorry to, to have t-transgressed upon yourself l-like..."  
  
She smiled at him and placed her own hand over his once again silencing him. She had been a little shocked at first, but now it made perfect sense to her. This was all very new to him. Of course he'd be a little curious.  
  
"It's all right Keinaro-san. You don't need to worry about it."  
  
"Yeah, b-but, still ma'am, I shou- I shouldn't have even-"  
  
  
Cherry giggled. "Think nothing of it. You haven't done anything wrong."  
  
Keinaro swallowed and smiled as best he could back at her.   
  
Bloodberry arched an eyebrow and took a sip. "That as it may, I still have a question for you."  
  
Naro nodded. "Sure, what?"  
  
"Well, I guess it's several. You told us that when you first realized Marionettes were machines it was when you saw one with her parts strewn all over the ground."  
  
"Yes, what about?"  
  
"Well, when Lime was shot today, you saw her bleeding yet you didn't say anything. In fact you covered her shoulder with your cloak hiding it. Then, somehow, you hurt your other shoulder and played that off as the gunshot wound that was drawing blood."  
  
Keinaro cocked his head and took a sip of the Sake. Cherry nodded in agreement. "I watched the bullet leave the barrel, Your arm was not in the way at all. It distinctly hit Lime, her shoulder is proof."  
  
Bloodberry continued. "Why did you cover her up so? You would have had no reason to do so. If she was indeed bleeding you would have asked questions, or pointed it out, or even tended to the wound, not cover it up." She pointed a finger. "You were trying to hide it."  
  
"Secondly when you grabbed that man, you popped his arm clear out of its socket and threw him into the air as if he were no more than a rag doll. No man I have seen could ever do that. Thirdly, how did you wound your arm like you did? Some trick knife? Lastly, When you were bleeding and Cherry was tending to your wounds, you had a wire in your arm; what was that?"  
  
Keinaro rubbed the wound under the bandage as she continued to speak.   
  
"There's only three people in the world that I know of who have wires in their arms like that. Me, Cherry, and Lime."  
  
They fell silent as Naro gazed at the table.  
  
Finally Bloodberry spoke again fixing her stare onto the Gray Eyed young man. "Where are you from Hajima?"  
  
Slowly he looked up and met Bloodberry's eyes. He took a deep breath. Here was where he had to cross the line. It was no longer an adventure. From here on out it would be duty despite what he may think or want. He remembered why he had been sent here and who had sent him. He closed his gray eyes and sighed. Here goes the vacation.  
  
"I'm sure you have a pretty good idea of where I come from...Aiko-chan."  
  
  
  
  
  
The small glass that had been in Bloodberry's hand was smashed into a million small fragments. She rose to her feet and planted both her hands on the table.  
  
"Who the HELL are you?!" she screamed. Cherry gasped and rose herself.  
  
"Where have you come from?!" she demanded. Keinaro placed his glass on the table and avoided their glares.   
  
"Please, please sit down."  
  
Bloodberry, in fury, swiped her hand across the table scattering all the contents onto the floor. Keinaro could see fire burning in her eyes. Any trace of the happiness he'd seen earlier had been completely wiped from her face. Rage and fury shone like pure fire in her deep, compassionate globes. Cherry slammed her hand down on the table. Naro saw that same fire in her eyes as well. He swallowed. The beautiful, gentle woman who had been there only moments ago had been replaced by am angry demon-ness.   
  
He stammered to her. "S-Satomi-chan, Please understa-"  
  
He was stopped by Cherry. She'd pulled her hand back and slapped him across his face as hard as her little frame could muster. Time seemed to slow as Keinaro was thrown clear of the table and landed on the floor. When he hit he found himself bleeding from the mouth. Cherry had split his lip open.  
  
"Don't you EVER call me by that name!! Ever!!" she was almost the point of screaming. Keinaro lay there sprawled on the floor unmoving, barely breathing. When she had hit him, for some reason, she had hurt him far worse than the wire in his arm had. Something deep inside his body seemed to shatter . The whole world began to spin wildly as he lay there. Slowly everything began to darken.  
  
'Duty.'  
  
The word kept repeating in his head.   
  
'Duty.'  
  
That was why he was here, right? That was the reason...  
  
'Duty.'  
  
'Humanity.'  
  
'Pride.'  
  
'Purpose.'  
  
'Love.'  
  
'...'  
  
  
  
Bloodberry and Cherry watched as Naro's body seemed to go limp on the floor. They stood there a minute watching him bleed before something suddenly clicked in Cherry's mind.  
  
"Oh my lord!" she screamed falling to his side. "Bloodberry! Bloodberry, I, think I..."  
  
Bloodberry dropped to Cherry's side and felt Keinaro's neck. Cherry, meanwhile was becoming hysterical.  
  
"Oh my lord! Oh my lord! Oh my- I've never killed a man before! Oh my GOD what have I done?!"  
  
Bloodberry looked up. "Cherry...Cherry!" But she wasn't listening.   
  
"Ohlordohlord, Never Bloodberry! Not even when we left! I never killed anyone then. But now! But now I've just KILLED a man!!"  
  
Bloodberry reached over and took hold of her shoulders and shook her. "Cherry! Cherry! Cherry, listen to me! He's all right! He's not dead! Cherry!"  
  
  
Cherry seemed to come around and locked eyes with Bloodberry. "What? He's ok? He's all right?!"  
  
"Yes," Bloodberry smiled. "He's fine! You just knocked him out. That blood's from his mouth, not from his head."  
  
"Really?!" she said bending over to examine him. To her immense relief she found a pulse. She sat back up and steadied her breathing.  
  
"Oh, oh my. I thought that I had killed him." she said leaning against Bloodberry.  
  
Bloodberry frowned. "So I gathered... Kind of a pity you didn't."  
  
Cherry looked up at her. "What? Bloodberry!"  
  
Bloodberry scowled down at the young man. "You heard what he called us. He knows who we are. ...And we know where he's from."  
  
"Bloodberry..." Cherry said frowning sadly a bit. "They aren't after our lives." She placed her hand over her partner's chest bone. "You know what they want. He saved our lives. Everything he's told us has been the truth, I can tell. Either he doesn't know why they really want us, or he has truly changed."  
  
Bloodberry stared back down at the Gray Eyed young man and shook her head. "I guess we'll see, ne?"  
  
  
  
Otaru sat at the table glaring at Cherry and Bloodberry. He tapped his fingers across the tabletop trying his best to restrain his anger.   
  
He'd come home to find a young man passed out laying on the futon next to his. The first thing he wanted to know was who he was and where he came from. He wasn't too happy to learn that he had been a stranger that the picked up off the street. When he asked why he was laying on the futon next to his own he was even more unhappy to learn that Cherry had knocked him out and he now had to stay until he got better.  
  
So now all four of them sat centered around the table. Lime, Cherry, Bloodberry and Otaru. Otaru finished the cup of tea he had been drinking and slammed the glass back down on the table. To make matters worse, he found that they had broken several of his cups on the ground and spilled all of the better Sake all over the floor. Bloodberry and Cherry sat with their faces turned slightly downwards, while Lime sat there like a child scolded. Otaru fixed his eyes on her.  
  
"I don't suppose you had anything to do with this?"  
  
Lime flinched and slowly rose her head. "Otaru~"  
  
"Oh no you don't! You're not going to pull that on me again."  
  
"But, but Otaru-"  
  
"I cannot believe you girls!" He said throwing his hands up. "I have to work everyday just feed you three. I have to get up early in the morning and I don't get home until late at night. Everyday I do the same thing just to make ends meet and when I'm gone, the only thing I expect of you three is to behave and keep the place neat around here. But it seems that I can't even trust you girls to do that. I can't even trust you to keep your noses clean and this place straight. What am I going to do with you? Eh? What am I going to do with you three?  
  
"You pick up strangers off the street and bring them here, then you hurt him and leave them inside MY room. You break my kitchenware on top of that AND you make stains the wooden floor I spent all last week stripping and buffing. Now I've got to do all that over again! Just because you three can't handle yourselves. I don't believe this!  
  
Cherry didn't say anything the whole time. She merely sat there looking at her lap. She was afraid of Otaru's stare. Bloodberry lay propped up on the floor by one arm looking rather solemn. Lime looked like she was about to cry.  
  
"You three disappoint me, do you know that? You really do. Here I thought that you might have grown some and matured on me a bit, and then you go ahead and pull this junk on me. I don't work like I do because I have to! I am not obligated in anyway to take care of you three at all. I found you and took you out of the cold and out of the plasma storm out of my own free will. The law says I can put you back there just as easily. I could you know! I could simply throw you three back into the streets!"  
  
"Otaru!"  
  
"But I don't!" Otaru lowered his head and clenched his fists. "Each and every time I don't. Each and every time I forgive you three because I care about you. I care about you three very much! I bring you in, feed you, clothe you, you three don't even have to work. I don't make you work. I let you stay here simply because I care deeply enough about you guys to keep you from going out into the hell I face everyday. I never force you to do something that you three don't want to do. And the only things I ask in return is for your kindness and for you to keep yourselves out of trouble.   
  
"But you always go off and pull something like this. You hurt me, you know that?" All three of them looked up at Otaru. "You hurt me every time you pull this garbage on me. It hurts me to sit here and yell at you three time and time again. It hurts me to put out more time and hours just to pay for what you break. But do you know what hurts most of all? When I realize that I had misplaced my trust in you three. That you aren't what I had thought you to be.  
  
"I'm getting tired of this. I'm getting tired of you girls pulling this crap on me time and time again. I'm getting tired of coming home to the destruction that you've sown and reaped over and over again! You never learn. You never seem to catch on. Time and again I forgive you and time and again you betray that forgiveness. I don't want anymore of this. I'm not sure what I am going to do with you three now."   
  
He rose from the table. Lime's lip was quivering and her eyes brimming with tears.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
Bloodberry half rose. "Otaru, please listen. It wasn't like you say! You don't-"  
  
Otaru raised his hands and shook his head. "I don't care! I don't care Bloodberry! I don't want excuses! I don't want this! I don't give right now!" He turned and started to walk towards his small room. "I don't know what I am going to do about you three. I don't, I just don't know. I don't want to see any of you for the rest of the night. I'm going to bed."  
  
Cherry rose herself. "But, Otaru-sama, your dinner?"  
  
"I don't CARE Cherry! I'm not eating tonight! I'm going to bed."  
  
And with that he pulled the door to his room closed with a bang.  
  
  
All three of the marionettes jumped when it slammed shut. Lime turned to Cherry.  
  
"Cherry~..."  
  
She opened her arms sadly and held Lime. "Oh Lime..."  
  
"Cherry!" Lime broke down and began to cry onto Cherry. She held Lime close and tried her best to comfort her.  
  
Bloodberry scowled and rose. "Shit!"   
  
Cherry watched Bloodberry walk to the door. "Bloodberry! Where are you going?"  
  
"Out for a walk!" she stormed before slamming the front door shut.  
  
"Bloodberry..." Cherry said before turning her attention back to Lime.  
  
  
  
  
She didn't come back until one in the morning. Cherry had stayed up holding Lime until she fallen asleep at her side. She pulled a blanket over the sleeping Marionette and waited for Bloodberry's return. She had been dozing herself when the front door slid open. Cherry didn't ask Bloodberry where she had been. She only offered her a cup of tea and a blanket, both of which Bloodberry graciously accepted. She'd gone off to simply think. She had a spot in the park where she could sit and rest. It was there she always went whenever Otaru yelled at any of them. She was always tempted to go to the local bar and drink her problems away, but she knew that would only end up making things worse for everyone. Bloodberry and trouble became two very close friends whenever she was intoxicated. Cherry sat with her and they both talked about nothing and everything, wearing the hours away waiting for morning. Neither of them could sleep.  
  
  
The sun peeked over the rim of the far gate shedding its light all over Japoness enveloping the city in it's light. The whole city stirred to life slowly as the great orb of fire rose higher and higher into the sky. Slowly the shops opened up and the venders pulled out onto the street. The men of Japoness stirred to wakefulness and the entire city geared itself up for another day of life.  
  
Slowly Otaru stirred in his bed and his eyes gently came open. With a groan he rolled over and began to stretch. He would have to go back to the shop today. Not that he really wanted to. The old man was one crazy son-of-a-bitch. Always making him carry more than he could and working him like a horse while all he did was sit on his stool and tinker around. If it wasn't for the very good pay he would have taken off a long time ago.  
  
He heard a noise to his left and rolled over. He saw Keinaro still there with his eyes closed. It took Otaru a minute to realize who he was and what he was doing in his room. Suddenly all the events of the previous night came back to him in a rush. Otaru closed his eyes and groaned. He remembered what he had said to his three marionettes. He sat up and almost immediately felt sick to his stomach. He rarely ever yelled at them. And yet, last night he'd vented himself upon them with out even listening to what they had said in their defense. Otaru closed his eyes and shook his head. Shit, what had he done once again?   
  
He rose and quickly got dressed. Just as he was about to open the door something caught his eye. He turned to his dresser. There was something on it. He walked over and picked it up. Otaru swallowed and really began to feel sick. It was some rock candy. Sky blue with a little blue ribbon attached to it and a small tag hanging off the bottom. He read the tag, knowing what it would say.  
  
"Bloodberry"  
  
Otaru remembered when he yelled at her not too long ago because she had given some chocolates that had been laxatives in disguise. It really wasn't her fault. She had no idea what they were and her intentions were only the best. Even still he'd lost his temper with her as well and said some things he shouldn't have. He'd never apologized to her for that.  
  
Now he held the piece of candy in his hands and felt guilt like nothing else. Those marionettes were prone to accidents just like anyone else. He was sure they'd taken the young man off of the street with the best of reasons and even better intentions. The least he could have done was hear out what they had to say.  
  
Otaru clutched the candy in his hands and lifted his head up. It was not too late.   
  
He placed the piece inside his pocket, walked over to the door and slowly opened it. He could still try and undo the damage. He could still apologize.  
  
He found Lime lying on the ground snoozing softly. She'd managed to kick her blanket off her body and was shivering slightly from the cold. Otaru bent over and gently pulled it over her and tucked her in. She seemed to smile in her sleep and cuddled into it. Otaru smiled himself and rose. He couldn't see Cherry or Bloodberry lying anywhere. Where had they gone?   
  
A small breeze blew through the room and he noticed the door was ajar. Swallowing Otaru walked over and stepped outside. Cherry and Bloodberry were wrapped in a single blanket to ward off the cold and were sitting on the small bench outside the door. They both turned toward him as he stepped outside. Otaru avoided their gazes and watched the sun rise above the far wall. No one said anything for a moment. The marionettes because they were still afraid of what Otaru might do or say. Otaru because he was simply at a loss for words.   
  
Finally, he found his tongue. "What are you two doing out here? It's cold."  
  
Cherry and Bloodberry looked at each other a moment before answering. "The sunrise is beautiful this time in the morning." said Cherry.  
  
"Indeed." Bloodberry agreed.  
  
Otaru leaned against the doorframe and stood silently. Despite the blanket, he could still see Cherry and Bloodberry shivering slightly. Finally he sighed.  
  
"Let's go inside you two. We can make some breakfast, have something to eat."  
  
Both the marionettes nodded and stood. Otaru turned to go in but was stopped by Cherry's voice.   
  
"Otaru-sama?"  
  
"Yeah?" he said turning.  
  
"O-Otaru-sama...are you...are you still upset with us?"  
  
He looked to her and Bloodberry shivering in the cold and he smiled.   
  
"No. You two know that I could never be angry with you for this long."  
  
Cherry and Bloodberry smiled with relief.   
  
"Now come inside. It's cold out here."  
  
  
  
  
It was about that time that Keinaro finally regained consciousness. His mind had been swimming for some time and finally through the inky blackness came some light. Slowly he came too and stirred. The first thing he noticed was that there was something covering his body but his mind was still swimming in such a way that he couldn't yet deduce what it was (a blanket). Groaning he brought his hand up to his head. Where- where was he? What the hell was he doing here? His thoughts were suddenly interrupted suddenly by a voice.  
  
"OTARUUUUUUUUU!!"  
  
Suddenly a figure jumped right through a poster in the wall of the room Naro was in and landed right on top him.  
  
"Otaru!! I've finally caught you alone!"   
  
Keinaro came fully to his senses as felt the wind knocked out of him by the character. His eyes bulged as the person on his body began to cuddle with him. It was very young man of some sort with wild blonde hair wearing white tights and a rather large, rather floppy bow on his neck. The man didn't seem to notice that Keinaro was not this Otaru person.  
  
"Otaruuu~ Finally you and I can have some quality time together with out those annoying marionettes around! We can finally realize the true love that has blossomed between us although you never choose to show it to me, I know deep in your heart you feel the same way about me because fate has decreed that we shall be one someday and I truly believe that because every night I dream about the good times we will have together and all the memorable moments we will share and on that blessed day that we finally consummate our love in the ultimate act of devotion you shall see that those cursed marionettes that you have chosen to hold onto are nothing more that mere pieces of junk and that the only love, the true love can only form between two men as our selves and we shall gaze into each other's eyes, you into mine and mine into yours and....and...Otaru since when did your eyes become gray?"  
  
  
  
Just as they were stepping in outside, Bloodberry, Cherry and Otaru saw Hanagata explode out of the roof of Otaru's apartment and into the sky screaming away into the distance; the first and only human rocket in all of Japoness.  
  
Bloodberry sniffed. "It looks like Keinaro's awake..."  
  
"Who?" Otaru turned.  
  
"Keinaro," Cherry said. "The man whom we brought home yesterday Otaru-sama."  
  
Otaru looked up and watched as Hanagata's tiny figure entered a lone plasma cloud and heard the distant sound of violent thunder and smiled. "Hrm, he can't be all bad. I have to meet this character."  
  
  
  
  
Inside the house, the noise of Hanagata breaking through the roof had woken Lime. She leaped up just in time to see Otaru walk in. With tears brimming in her eyes she pounced on him in an instant.  
  
"Otaru! Otaru, I'm so sorry! I never wanted to make you mad and I'm sorry that I wasn't fast enough and that I got hurt and that you got angry at me. Otaru~ I promise that I'll be good from now on! I promise, I promise. I promise that I'll never leave here again so that I can't get into trouble and you can be happy with me, Otaru~"  
  
Otaru's face softened and he held Lime back. "It's all right, Lime. I'm not angry with you. It'll be all right. You're not in trouble."   
  
Lime heard this and looked up. "Otaru? You're not mad at me? You're not going to hate me forever and make us live on the street?"  
  
Otaru laughed. "Lime, I can never be mad at you like that. I'll never kick you three out. You girls mean too much to me." He said looking at Cherry and Bloodberry as well.  
  
Lime brightened immensely and promptly began to hold him even harder. "Otaru!"  
  
Otaru was about to say something else when the door to his room slid open and a man stumbled out walking backwards.  
  
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry! I just put a hole in your roof! Some crazy moron just dived on me and started to cuddle and talked about coupling and I just..."  
  
He turned and saw the marionettes and a young man he had never seen before. Naro's attention focused onto the marionettes and, swallowing, he took a step back. He suddenly remembered where he was and why he was still here.  
  
He took a step back. Otaru nodded toward him. "And who might you be?"  
  
Naro's mouth was dry and it took him a few seconds to work up his voice. "K-Keinaro, Hajima Keinaro."  
  
Otaru looked taken back. "Hajima? That's not a Japoness name. You look like you could be from Gartlant, or Petersburg."  
  
Keinaro smiled slightly. "N-no, I'm not from a-anywhere really."  
  
Otaru looked as if he was about to say something when Lime cut him off. "Otaru~ I'm hungry! Let's make something to eat."  
  
Otaru smiled. "Just what I was thinking. Cherry, would you mind?"  
  
"No, of course Otaru-sama. For four people?"  
  
"Er, four? No, five, Cherry. Keinaro-san will be joining us, right?"  
  
Everyone turned to him. Behind Otaru's back Bloodberry shot pure venom and Cherry, likewise, made a similar face. Otaru and Lime, however smiled at him. Lime still didn't know who he was and had no reason to hate him. Otaru had come to the conclusion that who ever had the strength to turn Hanagata into a human comet and send him straight to plasma hell may not be half bad, so he decided to at least meet him over a meal. Keinaro swallowed. He didn't want to upset Bloodberry and Cherry any more than he already had. He still felt bad about what he said the day before, but he knew that someday he would have to bring it back up whether or not they liked it. He sorely didn't want to. He had fallen in love with their charm and personalities, their bodies were an added and welcome bonus. But he knew that in the end, he would have to hurt them terribly.   
  
But it was his duty to do so. All of humanity depended upon his actions. He was bound by honor to do the right thing...  
  
...The right thing...  
  
...what ever that was.   
  
Otaru saw that Keinaro seemed to be struggling with something. "Keinaro? Keinaro would you mind joining us for breakfast?"  
  
Naro looked down and bit his lip. Cherry and Bloodberry didn't want him around. Their looks told him that much. He made his decision.  
  
"No...No thank you Otaru-kun. I wouldn't wish to intrude upon your grace and hospitality."  
  
"What?" Otaru said cocking his head. "No no, It's no bother at all. You're welcome to stay and share a meal with us."  
  
But Keinaro was already gathering his cloak off the ground. "No, I'm afraid I've hurt you and your lovely women enough. I've already done too much. I can't bear causing any more pain."  
  
"What? What do you mean by that?" Otaru said stepping forward. He noticed that Naro had used the word 'women' and not 'marionettes.'  
  
"It is not my place to say." Naro said keeping his eyes on the ground, afraid to look up at Otaru or any of his marionettes. Pulling his hood up he quickly made for the door. "I- I thank you for your hospitality and for allowing me to stay the night."   
  
"Hey wait!" Otaru said putting his hand on Keinaro's shoulder. "Where are you going?! Don't you want something to eat?"  
  
Keinaro stopped right in front of the door at Otaru's touch, his back to him. Otaru could feel his body stiffen below his hand.  
  
"...I am not welcome here." He said finally. "Please. I do not wish to be anymore of a bother."  
  
Otaru was surprised to say the least. "Not welcome here?! Where did you get that impression from?! Of course you're welcome, this is my home. I ask you to stay for a small meal. After that if you wish to go, I will not stop you but at least-"  
  
Naro reached up and pulled Otaru's hand off his shoulder turning his head back slightly. "Please. I am not welcome here. Let me be on my way."  
  
Otaru took a step back and frowned. "Not welcome? What is it then? Isn't my hospitality good enough for you? Where are you going to go? I may not have very much, but I want to share what little I have with you. My marionettes trusted you enough to bring you back here, why do you want to leave?"   
  
Naro wordlessly placed his hands on the doorframe and lowered his head.  
  
"I don't know where you are from Hajima, but it seems they don't teach one manners! Please, at least take a seat."  
  
Lime stepped forward. "Naro-san, Please. Stay for at least a bite or two?"  
  
Keinaro started to dig his hands into the wooden doorframe. Why was this so hard. Why couldn't he simply leave and comeback only when the proper time had come? Why was this so painful? Why the hell did things have to be like this? Why couldn't he simply stay and sit and share a meal? Why couldn't he gracefully turn it down with out this emotional baggage? Why the hell?  
  
Otaru watched him for a few seconds longer before he finally gave up. Shaking his head, he turned away scowling. "Fine. Get out of here. I don't want to eat with someone of your type anyway. NOW you are not welcome here. If my hospitality isn't good enough, just get the hell out! Find a dumpster if that's more your style!"  
  
"Otaru!" Lime turned. "Otaru, no you don't-"  
  
She stopped when she heard the door softly close behind her. She turned and found the doorway empty. Her eyes began to fill with tears once more.  
  
"Ot-Otaru..."   
  
Bloodberry walked over and placed her hand on Lime's shoulder. "Lime, you don't want to have anything to do with that man." She looked up at the closed door and breathed a little easier. "He's dangerous..."  
  
Lime shook Bloodberry's hand off her shoulder. "Otaru! You don't understand! Yesterday, the reason why we brought him here was-"  
  
Otaru sat and waved his hand at Lime. "Lime, I don't want to hear it."  
  
"But Otaru, It's really, really important-"  
  
"I said I don't want to hear it Lime!"  
  
"Otaru..." Lime looked heartbroken a moment and she fell to her knees and began to cry. Otaru looked over his shoulder and immediately remembered what had happened last night. Once again he turned Lime down with out giving her a chance to talk. He frowned and shook his head once more. He promised him self he would at least give her that much. He stood up and sat by her and wrapping his arm around her.  
  
"Oh, Lime, I'm sorry. Please, you don't have to cry. Tell me, what is it you wanted?"  
  
She sniffed through her tears and looked Otaru in the face. "It's about yesterday, I-it's why we brought him home in the first place.."  
  
Bloodberry hissed at down at her. "Tcha! Lime!"  
  
Otaru looked up at her in surprise. "Bloodberry!" Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "What are you hiding Bloodberry?"   
  
Bloodberry took a step back and said nothing. Otaru could still read her face nevertheless. She was hiding something. "Bloodberry..." He said menacingly.  
  
"O-Otaru..."  
  
He turned to Lime when she didn't answer. "Lime! Tell me what happened. I want to know exactly what happened!"  
  
  
  
  
A few minutes later the door burst open and Otaru took off running as fast as he could down the street hoping he was heading in the same direction as Keinaro.   
  
  
  
Japoness' business district, by now, was in full swing. The streets were lined and crowded with men and marionettes, shops and stores, various trinket sellers and even the occasional nobleman. Anything and everything available in Japoness could be found in the market place, both legal and illegal. Anything from pleasure marionettes to explosives to high end targeting systems and orange blossom data cores. If you wanted it, chances are you could find it there.  
  
Otaru flung himself into the crowds doing his best to look over the heads of all those in his way searching for the brown and weather-beaten hood and over-cloak. He weaved his way in and out of the various crowds and moved as fast as his legs would permit in such a crowded place. He cursed at himself for letting his temper get the better of reason again. He'd yelled at the man who was probably the reason why he was able to yell at Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry the night before. If he hadn't been there Otaru would have gone home to find no one there, only to learn he would have lost the three most important things in his life. He shuddered. The thought was too horrible to think about. Life with out Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry would be too unbearable even to consider.   
  
Otaru ducked around a cart merchant selling some of his goods and through a small crowd of people he saw a man walking swiftly away. He was wearing a faded brown cloak and hood and seemed to be pressing something up to his ear. He was talking into it. Waving his arms Otaru called out.  
  
"Hey! HEY! Naro-san! NARO-SAN!!"  
  
The man seemed to pause and look over his shoulder a moment before turning and taking off running.  
  
"What? HEY! NARO-SAN! WAIT!!"  
  
Otaru tried his best pile on as much speed as he could, but Keinaro was faster. He took off like a shot into the crowds holding his body low to the ground moving like a bullet. Otaru cursed for the five hundredth time that day and watched him go. Suddenly he had an idea. He had a pretty good idea of where Keinaro was headed. The road curved down the way. With a grunt, he took off down a near by alleyway.  
  
  
  
Naro steamed along the ground making his way through the throng of people easily. He was breathing hard, but for very different reasons than exhaustion. Why on earth was this happening. Why was Otaru still chasing after him? Why couldn't he simply let all this go and just drop it? Why did it always come back to follow him? Those dammed women! Those dammed, dammed women. They were the reason why he was here, and now they were the reason he couldn't leave. Didn't they hate him? Didn't they, not twenty minutes ago, scorn and despise him?  
  
Keinaro was confused. He didn't know why he felt this way about those women. All his life he had grown up with the impression that women were terrible creatures bent on consuming the desires of young men, and that they were a plague that had thankfully never touched the face of Terra II. But now that he had seen them, some thing in him seemed to change. He'd felt this warmth inside of himself that had never been there before. When he touched Cherry, he felt like he was on fire, like his heart was burning. And when she hit him something inside seemed to break. His warmth had been shattered and he suddenly felt an amazing weight on his soul. He felt he had done something too horrible for words.   
  
These new feelings conflicted with his previous ones that he had taken with him on this voyage. He'd left full of purpose, full of the desire to help mankind in what he was about to do. He knew that he was on a quest for the bettering of all. It was his honor and duty to turn in what he had found for the sake of all man, anywhere. It was his role as a living creature upon this earth to do the task that had been given him.   
  
But he knew that his new feelings that he had since learned existed inside himself conflicted with his older ones of pride and duty. They were fighting deep inside himself already. Keinaro hated this. He hated these feelings. On one side he had humanity and the safety of the planet for eons to come. On the other hand, he had, possibly, his own happiness and those of those three women and their master who even now relentlessly hunted him. Naro could not figure out why he couldn't shed these feelings. He felt guilty for meeting those women. He felt guilty for meeting their master. He felt guilty for leaving. He felt guilty for coming.   
  
Why Otaru and those women plagued him he didn't know. It seemed he just couldn't let them be until the proper time had arrived. He wanted to simply leave them and let them be happy until the time came for him to fulfill his duty to his planet. That was the only way he figured he could appease both parts of himself. But they kept coming back. They kept coming back to him. He'd run and they seemed to follow.   
  
He turned the corner to a nearby alley and collapsed against the wall.   
  
"Shit..." he muttered to himself. He was beginning to regret ever meeting those women...  
  
He didn't see Otaru until he placed his hand on Naro's shoulder. He looked up and jumped back in surprise. Otaru saw he was about to run again and took hold of his arm.  
  
"Wait! Naro, wait a minute! Please!"  
  
Keinaro paused and relaxed. It seemed fate would be cruel to him.  
  
"Naro, why didn't you tell me you saved the lives of my marionettes?"  
  
He paused a moment before answering. "It wasn't in my place. I had no business to." He said avoiding Otaru's gaze.  
  
"Naro, that's nonsense. I had no idea I came so close to loosing my marionettes yesterday. I had no idea how close I came to never seeing them again."  
  
"Please," Naro said softly, "Don't call them that."  
  
Otaru arched an eyebrow. "Huh, call them what?"  
  
"Marionettes. Please, they're not marionettes. They are women, Otaru."  
  
Otaru paused. There he went again calling them women. Shaking his head Otaru took hold of Keinaro's shoulders. "Keinaro? What are you talking about? There are no women on this planet. They were all killed long, long ago back when-"  
  
"Yes, I know the story!" Naro spat shaking off Otaru's grip. "Back when the colony ship self-destructed and killed everyone and everything left on board. I know how it goes. But those women that live with you are not marionettes! I've seen marionettes. They are lifeless dolls! They are soulless robots that roam and do as they're told. They don't smile, Otaru! Marionettes don't smile! They don't cry either! Nor do they laugh, or get angry, or get jealous. They simply do as they're told. They don't make their own decisions. Otaru you don't live with marionettes. You live with women, real live women. I'm not sure if you realize that or not by now, I can't possibly see how you could be so blind to the obviousness about them even now. They're not dolls Otaru! They're not soulless! They're not robots! They are living, thinking, breathing, laughing, frowning, smiling, crying women! Don't ever degrade them by calling them such petty machines. Never, Otaru."  
  
Otaru was taken back by such an outburst. He'd never expected Naro to act like this. Despite it, he still saw some truth in what he had said. He may be right in a different sort of way. Even still, he had something he needed to ask. Looking up at Naro he saw that his gaze had once again fallen away from his own and to the ground.  
  
"Naro...Naro look at me. I need to ask you something."   
  
Slowly he rose his head. "What?"  
  
"Naro, back when I asked you to stay, you told me that you weren't welcome in my home. What did you mean by that?"  
  
Naro visibly swallowed. "I won't tell you."  
  
"Wha-what?! Why not?!"  
  
"Because, Otaru," he said looking up. "I don't want to make you sad. I don't want to make your women sad. I don't want to ruin everything for you four."  
  
Otaru took a step forward. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I can't say."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because Otaru I told you!"  
  
"You haven't told me anything!"  
  
"Because I have no right to say it! I have no right to take away the happiness between you and your women! It is something between you and them and no one else!"  
  
"I'm giving you the right! Tell me what you mean!!"  
  
"God DAMMIT, Otaru!!" Keinaro said slamming his fist into the side of the building. To Otaru's surprise some of the wall shattered and crumbled to the ground.  
  
"God DAMN YOU! Why do you want me to do this to you?! Why do you want me to ruin your lives?! Why can't you just leave me alone and let me stay away until the time comes?! I want you to be happy with your women Otaru! I want them to be happy with you! The time is going to come when you wont be able to share that love anymore! The time is going to come when you wont be able be with them any more... And... and..."   
  
Keinaro started to sob. "...and I'll be the one to take them away from you... I'll be the one to ruin your lives..."  
  
Otaru took a step forward. "What?"  
  
To Otaru's utter shock, Keinaro slammed his fingers deep into the wall and pulled scoring deep marks into it. Otaru took his step back, his eyes wide open in shock. What the?!   
  
Keinaro turned to face him with his own wild, angry eyes. "So get the hell away from me!! Get the hell away!! You don't want me yet!! You don't want me in your life!! Just get the fuck away!!!"  
  
Leaving Otaru speechless, Keinaro turned and began to run back into the street. He got as far as the end of the alley when something stepped into his way. It was Bloodberry.  
  
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he screamed barreling towards her. Bloodberry only planted her feet and brought her fists up to a fighter's stance. Keinaro saw that the only way to escape would be to go through her. With eyes streaming tears and his heart screaming at him to stop he bellowed out and charged. Otaru saw what was going to happen and screamed out to Bloodberry.  
  
"Bloodberry! Wait! Don't-"   
  
With a crash the two collided and rolled out into the street. Keinaro landed on top and with a grunt jumped away. Bloodberry shot out with her arm and snagged him by his foot and pulling him back down. With a roar they clashed on the ground. Everyone in the market got out of the way and formed a ring as the two struggled and raged. Bloodberry ended up gaining the upper hand rolling on top of him. She had a hand around his neck and the other in a fist trying to pummel the young man's skull into the dirt. Keinaro had his hands full trying to pry her free from his throat and keeping her fist from liquefying his head.  
  
Finally he realized there was no way for him to get out of this position unless... To the utter surprise of Bloodberry, Naro let out a scream and pulled his right leg up, bringing his knee to his chest, right between her legs.   
  
"...Blood...berry..." He grunted, silently apologizing for what he was going to do. Violently he kicked outwards and upwards catching Bloodberry right in her stomach. Her eyes grew huge and her grip relaxed. She'd never expected such a violent offense from such a little man. With a another scream he hit her again, and again, and again until her grip finally broke. When it did she flew off his body with the force of his kick and landed near the side of the ring of people. Keinaro rolled off his back and onto his feet. He saw Bloodberry down struggling to get up and he turned to run. But the second he turned his body he found himself face to face with Cherry.  
  
Keinaro wasn't stupid. He'd read the reports on each of the girls. Lime was the fastest, illustrated by her dodging the bullet the day before. He'd figured Bloodberry was the tank, she'd very nearly pummeled him into the ground. That left Cherry. She was the only true combat one in the whole group. She had a targeting system built into her body that judged the moves of her combatant and she moved accordingly. Keinaro knew better than to fight with her. She'd judge his move well before he could execute it. There was no defending from her either. He paused judging his options. Stay and loose or run, run like hell. Cherry saw him hesitate and smiled. This turned out to be his mistake.  
  
When Keinaro saw her smile opted for the latter. His game was up. She'd already seen his move. With a grunt he turned and started to take off in he other direction...Right back into Bloodberry. She had, by now, gotten back to her feet. The last thing he saw before everything went black once again was Bloodberry's scowling face and her spiked fist three inches from his face.  
  
  
  
Otaru saw Keinaro's body leave the ground and actually flip in the air before landing in a heap on the ground.   
  
"BLOODBERRY!!" He screamed and ripped his way through the crowd. "Bloodberry!" he yelled again coming to the inside edge of the ring. Cherry was already on top of Keinaro checking him.  
  
"Bloodberry!!" He screamed for a third time. "Bloodberry, what the hell did you do?!"  
  
"Nothing." Replied Cherry standing. "She pulled her punch at the last second. He's only unconscious."  
  
"What?!" Otaru went to Naro's side and knelt. He saw blood trickling from his mouth (the old cut Cherry gave him had reopened) but for the most part he seemed ok. His chest was rising and falling softly and his pulse was strong and steady. Otaru whirled upon Bloodberry.  
  
"Bakayero!! Why did you attack him?!"  
  
Bloodberry rubbed her arms and averted her eyes. "He is right. You want to have nothing to do with him." Otaru rose and approached her. He was quivering with anger, but decided to swallow it for the moment. They had a lot of explaining to do.  
  
"You will pick him up..." He said, his voice tense with controlled anger. "And you will take him home." He turned to Cherry. "And you will bind him and make sure that he will be ok. Are the both of you clear on this."  
  
"But Otaru-sama! You don't understand about this man."  
  
Otaru narrowed his eyes and did his best to control his quivering voice. "Ch-Cherry!"  
  
He saw her flinch and swallowed, remembering what he had promised himself earlier. "Ch-Ch-Cherry... w-what don't I understand about this man?"  
  
"Master. He is dangerous. He's a soldier. Please, let us simply dispose of him. He will not be missed and-"  
  
"Cherry." Bloodberry's face was solemn. "Remember why we came here."  
  
"But Bloodberry! If we can just-"  
  
"What then when he's gone? There will be others. There are always going to be others. We need to think now, and use our heads. Our time is now. This is the end of our vacation."  
  
" But...Bloodberry..."  
  
Bloodberry turned to Otaru. "Otaru. You've never asked us where we came from. You always just accepted us as is. And...for that we're grateful. But I think the time has come for us to tell you, just...just..." She paused and stared at the ground.  
  
"Bloodberry." The anger had drained itself from Otaru's body. He wondered just what exactly had Cherry in such a mood... Bloodberry as well. This was more serious than he first thought.  
Bloodberry looked back up and locked eyes with Otaru. He took a step back. Bloodberry...she looked like she was going to...to cry. Otaru had never seen her look like that before. She was always the strongest out of the three. Two things he'd never seen her do were get hurt or cry. Today she had done both.  
  
"Otaru..." She said finally. "We need to tell you...just where we come from. We need to tell you just who we really are."  
  
Slowly, Otaru nodded. "Take Keinaro back to the house." He said dryly. "If one man can make do this to you two, we'll need to keep him under our watch."  
  
  
  
Slowly, both Bloodberry and Cherry nodded. They took Keinaro up and carried him away. The crowd parted to let them pass. They were totally silent. They'd never seen anything like this before. The marionettes had been angry, and worried, and sad. They spoke to Otaru with tone and real emotion. Otaru talked to them back as if they were his equal. They reacted with him just as much as he reacted with them. Quite a few of the men began to wonder as they watched them walk away. Were Otaru's Marionettes the defective ones, or were theirs?  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
What is human? What is it that defines us as that creature. Is it our self-awareness? Is it our higher levels of thinking? Or is it our hearts?   
Are we human simply because we have been born from another human? If so, what of clones? What of those created artificially? Are they not human because of their birth? Circumstance dumped them into a world where they think and breathe and feel like everyone else, but are outlaws and banned because of something they could not help. Criminals from a crime they were forced to commit.  
These are questions we will be asking ourselves for years to come. These are questions we are asking right now. These are questions we have been asking for years.  
When we blur the line between man and machine we also blur the line between right and wrong, good and evil. What is human? Human is what ever you desire it to be.  
  
  
  
Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!   
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.   
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!   
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.  
  
On nights when I can't settle down no matter what,   
I just want to throw anything and everything away.   
Don't bitch and complain, just open the door, ya know.   
I don't have time to quibble with you.  
  
I want to fly all over the place.  
I wanna throw caution to the wind.  
It isn't because I've lost anything  
It's because nothing's even started yet.  
  
Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!   
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.   
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!   
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.   
What do you want? What do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go?   
Cut through the darkness and run to grab what you want through the night!  
  
Sometimes I'll let my guard down to your kindness,   
but sometimes I worry.   
I've been doing whatever I want as much as I wanted to,   
But to tell the truth, to be with you is the best.  
  
Believing, I want us to believe in each other.  
I want it to be as plain as black and white.  
Because it's not just intensity  
Because it's not just gentleness...  
  
Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!   
Who do I want to hold? I should know.   
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!   
I can't protect even those unless I get moving.   
Even if I get hurt, or I hurt someone, or I have to take the long way,  
With my heart as it is, tumbling as I am, I'll pierce through the night!  
  
Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!  
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.  
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!  
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.   
  
Holding each other, getting hurt, then loss...   
Everyone hurts the one they hold most dear.   
Anyway, I just can't understand being shackled with a promise...   
I can't put my finger on it...  
  
What do you want? What do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go?   
Cut through the dark and run to grab what you want through the night!  
  
  
~Outlaw Star - Through the Night  
  
  
  
[To Be Continued...] 


	2. Eight

Saber Marionette and all affiliated characters, places, people, and what ever the else that name encompasses does not belong to me. Do you want to know what else does not belong to me? Money. Please do not sue this little fool who is only writing fan fiction. He lives with his mom...in Zimbabwe...in a swamp...on a mountain...alone...so there.   
  
This is part 2 of my fan fiction. Read part one first. Why? Because your going to wonder just what the hell is going on if you don't! [stating the obvious][stating the obvious][stating the obvious] Any way I always welcome helpful criticisms. To tell you the truth, I've never been flamed before. :D Then again I've only posted one piece of fan fiction before. D: So the first guy who does it will be sure to get a letter back from me telling him that he is the first flamer of my life. After him I will simply read your flames with impunity. HaHA! That is right! IMPUNITY!!! I will look at them, laugh, point out that the author has most likely never typed a decent fanfic in his entire life, feel good about my self and save the message to show all my friends.   
  
Anyway, If you have any helpful criticisms I'd love to hear it. Keyword being helpful. "Dude, It's BITCHIN'!!!" or "DUDE, YOU SUCK!!" is not helpful. Telling me exactly why I should never type a single story again in my life would be much, much better. Details are great. :D I'm writing this for my pleasure and that of my friends. I am posting it in hopes that you will enjoy it as well. I guess this is for all those out there with open minds. If you hate it please tell me why. I don't mind if you write me mail telling me you don't like the course of my story, or if the whole idea seems wrong. Just don't go on a mindless, evil-mail rampage about it. Back up your criticisms is all I ask.   
  
I know what SMJ is all about. Six robots are gifted with a device that grants them human emotion. But I feel it's more than that. It is about the definition of "human", It is about love, it is about sacrifice, it is about doing the right thing. Whether or not you agree with me or not, you read only because you wish to. You can stop whenever you wish, I wont hold it against you if you leave half way through in disgust. Once again the only thing I ask is that you at least read through the whole thing before sending me any E-mail about it. Remember folks: The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com  
  
I rated this PG-13 for some adult language and some adult themes. Also about half way through they are all naked, but imagine them wearing loin cloths anyway. I need to keep the rating down.  
  
  
One last thingy: I'd like to give props to my bud and editor- the great 'Vik-Man'. Thanks for making grammar better, fixing job did you great. Read now people can. Him did a good job ...Nominative clauses my ass..  
  
  
Let's get moving again.  
  
[NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Lime, please. I really need it."  
  
"No! Otaru, please tell Cherry I don't want to!"  
  
Otaru frowned and exchanged a glance with Cherry. "Lime, if she says she needs it, you're the only one who could get out there fast enough and retrieve it."  
  
Lime began to pout a bit. "Otaru! The trip would take me a few days~"  
  
Bloodberry snorted. "That's the point..." She said below her breath.  
  
"I'm sorry Lime, but you're the only one fast enough to do it." Otaru said shaking his head.  
  
"But...Otaru..." Lime's frown deepened.  
  
He walked over to the saddened doll and held her. She slumped in his embrace.  
  
"Lime, I know that you will be able to do this. If Cherry says that this herb only grows deep in the Ikani Mountains, you'd be the best one to go out and fetch it. You are the fastest Lime."  
  
Lime's slump deepened. "Otaru...I still don't really want to go." She said softly.  
  
"Please Lime? Please?" Otaru said looking deep into her eyes. Lime curled her lower lip outwards a moment and then finally nodded. Otaru smiled and held her a bit closer.  
  
"Thank you Lime! I'm counting on you! I know you can do it!"  
  
She looked up. "Otaru is counting on me?"  
  
He smiled. "Of course Lime. That's why I want you to go and not Cherry or Bloodberry."  
  
Lime's eyes began to glitter. "Otaru is counting on Lime!!"   
  
She smiled brightly up at him and held him tightly. "Ok! I'll do it."  
  
It was set then. Lime would spend the next few days deep in the Ikani Mountains looking for a peculiar red herb called Maiden's Heart. Cherry sent her off to give her and Bloodberry time to explain things to Otaru. The trip would take her about a day to arrive and another few days at minimum for her to sniff out enough. Cherry knew that it would take Lime at least three days. Lime had no idea why she was really going. Cherry told her that she needed the herb to help make a salve for Keinaro's wounds. She was told that only she was fast enough to snag the herb and get it back before it went bad. Lime was totally clueless to the real reason. The truth would have killed her. The truth would have opened her mind and the Lime that Otaru knew would cease to exist. It was best she was sent away.  
  
With a smile, Lime left carrying only a pack and a stencil of what the plant she needed would look like. Everyone waved as she started marching off. Lime smiled and moved with a purpose. Otaru was counting on her and she would by no means disappoint him. It was her duty to help him out as best she could. They stood and watched the plucky girl trot off until she finally turned a corner and disappeared. All three of them fell silent as soon as Lime was lost from view. They stood there watching the corner she disappeared around in an awkward silence. No one really wanted her to leave. Lime was the reason why Cherry and Bloodberry were still alive. She was the real reason why they were living with Otaru and not 'there'... Lime had been the first person that Cherry had ever met. Lime was the best friend Bloodberry had ever had. Each of them loved Lime like a sister, and hurt to send her away on a false mission. But they had no choice.  
  
"Are you sure this is for the best?" Otaru asked, breaking the silence. "You guys never do anything with out each other."  
  
Cherry looked up at him and placed her hand on his arm. "Otaru, Come inside and listen to us. Please. This is about Lime. It's about all of us."  
  
It wasn't until he was through the door that Otaru realized that Cherry had called him simply Otaru...not Otaru-sama.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
SABER MARIONETTE J   
By: The Dark Phoenix The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com  
Eps. 2: 'Eight'  
"In the begining we only had one another"  
  
  
Living risky, never scared,   
Wander closer to the edge  
Nothing valued think no fear,  
Always wondering why you're here.  
All your purposes are gone,   
nothing's right and nothing's wrong.  
Nothing ventured, nothing gained,  
Feel no sorrow, feel no pain!  
  
  
Kiss me while I'm still alive,  
Kill me while I kiss the sky...  
  
  
Let me die on my own terms,   
Let me live and let me learn!  
  
  
Now I'll follow my own way,   
and I'll live on to another damn day!  
Freedom carries sacrifice,   
Remember when this was my life?  
  
  
Looking forward, not behind.  
Everybody's got to cross that line.  
Free me now to give me place,  
Keep me caged and free the beast...  
Falling faster, time goes by,   
Fear is not seen through these eyes.  
What there was will never be!  
Now I'm blind and cannot see!  
  
  
Kiss me while I'm still alive  
Kill me while I kiss the sky  
  
  
Let me die on my own terms,   
let me live and let me learn!  
  
  
Now I'll follow my own way,   
and I'll live on to another damn day!  
Freedom carries sacrifice,   
Remember when this was my life?  
  
  
Kiss me while I'm still alive  
Kill me while I kiss the sky  
  
  
Let me die on my own terms,   
let me live and let me learn!  
  
  
Now I'll follow my own way,   
And I'll live on to another damn day!!  
Freedom carries sacrifice,   
Remember when this was my life...  
  
  
...Then they take it away...  
  
  
~3 Doors Down - Life on my Own  
  
  
This Alternate universe is written by The Dark Phoenix. Contact at The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Bloodberry took a seat next to Otaru while Cherry prepared a pot of tea. Otaru waited silently as she worked. Bloodberry held her hands clasped in front of her face and silently gazed ahead at nothing. Otaru'd never seen her like that before. He was a little unsettled to see her so somber. The bad feeling that had pervaded his thoughts since they had first told him they had a secret they needed to share was getting stronger. Otaru swallowed and waited. He was getting tired of waiting, but there was nothing else for him to do. All in good time...  
  
Finally Cherry came back and set down three cups and put the pot on the table. She filled the glasses and handed them out one by one. Taking her own cup she sat and waited. The silence hung heavy over the table. Keinaro was still sleeping in Otaru's room. In the silence all three of them could hear his rhythmic and heavy breathing. He was still out cold. Cherry figured he would be out at least another eight hours. Bloodberry really hit him hard despite pulling her punch at the last moment.  
  
Finally, reluctantly, Bloodberry put her hand over Otaru's.  
"Otaru, we want you to understand something. We have only been living here for a while, yet for all three of us it has been the happiest time of our lives. Everything that we've done, Otaru; every mistake we've made; every battle we've fought; every meal we've made; every gift we've ever tried to give you; every day that we have woken up here, in your own home, was for you. You were one of the first people to really ever show us kindness. You were the first one to ever take care of us in the caring way you do. You were one of the first to go out and sweat blood and tears for our own safety and happiness. You have loved each of us more than almost anyone else has in all our lives."  
  
"Otaru-sama," Cherry said softly. "We love you more than anything else in this world. We would all gladly trade our souls to the devil if it would mean that you could live one more day in happiness. We have seen who you really are. We know that you worry for us because you care. We have never done anything, Otaru, without your happiness in mind. All the trouble we've been in, all the fights we've gotten into, all the times when you were sad and worried or angry with us were all done because we loved you and we wanted to do the right thing to make you happy."  
  
"Otaru, We don't know what you will think, or say to us after we tell you this..." Bloodberry said squeezing his hand gently. "...But know that despite what you may say or do to us after this, good or bad, we will always love you. We will never cease loving you. We will never cease caring for you. Otaru we pray that you will never abandon us. We pray that you will never leave us alone in the same disheveled heap that you found us in that night. We pray that you will love us as much as we love you, always.   
  
"We are telling you this because we feel that the time has come for you to know the truth about who we are. And if you choose to no longer harbor us after we have told you, or even if you choose to destroy us, we will understand. Any consequence you impose upon our lives for sharing this secret with you would never be as severe as if you decided to never love us again."  
  
"Any punishment, any at all, if by your hands, would be heaven compared to our lives without your love." Cherry said, adding her hand on top of Bloodberry's. "Please understand, we are telling you this only because we love you. Please don't ever hate us for this love."  
  
Otaru looked at each of them. Both Bloodberry and Cherry looked as if they were going to cry. They were pouring their hearts out to him. He could hear truth in their every word. Otaru realized that if he ever stopped loving them...he would lose them forever.  
  
He began to feel ill. All the times he yelled at them for their mistakes, for their recklessness or their inability to learn came back to him, he'd been yelling at loved ones who were only trying to please him, who were only trying to show him that they cared for him in the only ways they knew how. All the time's he'd lost his temper at Bloodberry, or barked at Cherry, or made Lime cry came back in a very painful flood.  
  
Bloodberry and Cherry saw Otaru turn his head away in shame.   
  
"Otaru!"  
  
"Otaru-Sama!"  
  
Otaru shook his head, his hand quivering. "Despite everything I've ever done to you, despite everything I've ever said, or made you feel, you still love me? Despite everything?"  
  
"Otaru-sama, you could never do a wrong by us. Never."  
  
They saw him tense and raise his other hand. Placing it over theirs he looked back up.  
  
"What ever you tell me, I promise I wont get mad. You can tell me anything in the world, I don't care. I'll never stop loving you three."  
  
Cherry and Bloodberry smiled and blinked back tears. They put their hands over his and nodded. It was done then. They were ready to tell their story.  
  
  
...well, almost...  
  
  
No one noticed Hanagata until he let out a cry of shock. He stood framed in the doorway slack-jawed. Had Otaru just SAID that?!  
  
"O-OTARU!!" He cried out. "Otaru, what did you just say?!"  
  
Otaru groaned. Great. Now he'll have to deal with him.  
  
"Hanagata!! What are you doing here?!"  
  
But the lovesick little man took no heed and shuffled forward to him on his knees.  
  
"Otaru~ How could you say that? I thought I was the only love in your life. How could you betray me?!"  
  
As Hanagata came close, moaning and groaning, Otaru lifted his foot and planted it in Hanagata's face.  
  
"Hanagata, I hate you! What the hell are you talking about?!"  
  
Instead of reeling back in shock, Hana merely took Otaru's foot into his hands and began to cuddle it up and down on his face.  
  
"Otaru, how could possibly mean that? We had such a connection. I could feel the electricity flowing between us. I could tell that you cared for me and that my love was being returned to you hundred fold. I thought that-"   
  
Otaru finally pulled his foot loose and gave Hanagata a hefty kick in his face once more. Bloodberry rose.  
  
"Will you please leave us alone! We have to tell Otaru something important!"  
  
Hanagata jumped up and pointed a long finger of accusation at her.   
  
"GAH! Quiet you, that dared corrupt my sweet love!! You are the reason why I must vie for his love and attention!! You are the ones who threaten to take my blessed Otaru from my life!! You who-"  
  
He was about to go even further when Cherry spoke up.  
  
"You hate us because we are not human."  
  
Hanagata stopped. "What? Er... er, well, yes, I guess that's one of the reasons. BUT STILL MORE IMPORTANLY-"  
  
Cherry interrupted him again.  
  
"Bloodberry..."  
  
Her partner looked down at her for a second and Cherry exchanged a glance with her. A moment later Bloodberry caught on.  
  
"eh... WHAT?! Cherry!! NO!! Why him?!"  
  
"Because I feel that we will need all the allies we can get. And besides..." She turned and looked up at him. "He's known us almost as long as Otaru. I think he has a right to know as well."  
  
Hanagata's eyebrows arched. "Huh, what are you two talking about?"  
  
Cherry momentarily ignored him and turned to Otaru.  
  
"Otaru-sama, would you mind if we told Hanagata as well?"  
  
He frowned a bit and scratched his head. "You two are telling this to me because you want to." He paused and regarded the now very confused Hanagata. "...I suppose if you feel you must tell him as well... it's your decision."  
  
Bloodberry groaned and sat back down. She didn't want the little freak present, but if Cherry insisted...  
  
The lovesick little man cocked his head a bit. "O-Otaru...what are you talking about?"  
  
"Just come and sit here Hanagata. These two feel it is important that you learn the truth."  
  
"Truth about what?  
  
"They were about to tell me." He said turning back to the table. "Just sit down and listen."  
  
Hanagata wasn't one to listen to those marionettes babble, but then again he wasn't one to turn down an offer to sit next to Otaru. Quickly he settled himself next to his love and cast doubtful glares at the dolls sitting across from him.  
  
  
  
With everyone settled, Otaru folded his hands. "All right you two, what do you have to tell me?"  
  
Bloodberry and Cherry exchanged looks once more. "How to start..." Bloodberry began.  
  
"First, Otaru, tell us, what do you know about us?"  
  
"Eh?" he seemed surprised. Weren't they supposed to be answering his questions? "Err, Well, not much. One day almost two years ago I was caught out in the middle of a severe plasma storm. It was the worst one I've ever seen in my life. I was huddling under some trees when a plasma bolt struck the ground. It was massive, lighting up everything with it's hard light. Every hair on my body stood up as it danced along the ground not ten feet from me. I covered my eyes thinking I was toast. But the bolt never touched me. When the blinding light and the noise subsided I opened my eyes and found you three. You were in the crater where the bolt had struck." He paused and took a sip of the tea. Hanagata sat by silently and said nothing. "I pulled you three out and when the storm had passed I took you home. You guys know the rest."  
  
"You weren't surprised to find us in that crater, Otaru?"  
  
"No, I was very surprised. I thought that perhaps you three had just been uncovered from the ground. I thought maybe you three had been buried or something. I guess I've never been able to figure out how you three got there."  
  
"What about when you found that we weren't like all the other marionettes? What about then?"  
  
"When I first saw you smiling at me I thought that I had been dreaming. I was very surprised! But time went on... and I learned that you three weren't just different from all the other marionettes, you were better. You could smile. I grew to love it when one of you smiled."  
  
"Didn't you ever wonder why we were different, Otaru-sama?"  
  
"At first," he replied. "But early on I realized that it didn't matter. You guys were special and you were mine. I didn't care or question how you came to me, who you were, or why you were what you are. I only cared that I would wake up the next morning and you three would be there."  
  
Cherry nodded and everyone fell silent for a moment. She reached out and picked up the pot of tea.  
  
"Otaru-sama, would you like some more drink?"  
  
"Yes, yes please."  
  
"Hanagata?"  
  
"What? Oh...er, sure, fill it up."  
  
After she had done so she put it back down Bloodberry continued by holding out her wrist.  
  
"Otaru...uh, Otaru, you've...never really...touched us...have you?" Hanagata did a double take and sprayed tea everywhere.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean by that? Of course I've held you three. What are you talking about?"  
  
"No, no, no." She said shaking her head and taking his hand. "I mean like this."  
  
She placed his palm over her wrist and held it there. Otaru furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at her.  
"Bloodber-"  
  
"Wait, Otaru...Just wait..." She said locking eyes for a moment.  
  
"Tell me what you feel."  
  
"Bloodberry, I feel you, of course-"  
  
"No, Otaru, deeper. What do you feel?"  
  
Otaru shook his head and looked at her wrist. "I can feel you're warm, most marionettes are cold which is another thing that's different about you. Umm..." He shook his head again. "Other than that nothing else."  
  
Bloodbrry leaned in closer. "You don't feel that, Otaru?" Hanagata was on the floor foaming at the mouth. Otaru almost never touched him in any way except to hurt him.  
  
"Feel what?"  
  
She opened and closed her hand. "Don't feel those?"  
  
Otaru shook his head slowly. "...No..."  
  
"Otaru, my bones, my tendons, my muscles..."  
  
At first he didn't understand, but then the oddity of it hit him. He COULD feel them! Otaru looked down and his eyes widened. He could feel them moving under her skin. Marionettes had a hard shell under their soft, plushy skin that kept the parts inside safe. When they moved you weren't supposed to feel the parts as they moved inside. But as he felt her move he could feel something move with in her wrist. It wasn't machinery. It really did feel like muscle...and bone...and...  
  
He narrowed his eyes and stilled his hand.  
  
  
...Was that...  
  
  
"Bloodberry." he said in a breathless tone. "Bloodberry you have a pulse!"  
  
Hanagata jumped up. "What?! A pulse? That's impossible. Marionettes don't come with pulses."  
  
"You don't believe me?! Feel for yourself!" Otaru took Hanagata's hand and placed it over Bloodberry's wrist. A second later he pulled his hand back screaming.  
  
"EIYAA!! What are you doing with a PULSE!?! Marionettes don't have hearts!! They can't have a pulse!!!!"  
  
Bloodberry reached over and gave her wrist back to Otaru.  
  
"Now Otaru...Look. Tell me what you see."  
  
With his hand shaking he took Bloodberry's wrist.  
  
"...Bloodberry."  
  
"Do it Otaru. Please."  
  
He slowly brought her wrist to his face and began to look at it. At first he only saw her skin. It was soft and warm in his hand. But then he noticed something he'd never seen before. Something, for two years, he'd managed to miss. God, had he been blind all that time? His breath began to catch in his throat.  
  
"Bloodberry..." he said slowly. "Why do you have veins running up your arm?"  
  
With a look of dread on his face, Hanagata looked over and stared at her arm in Otaru's hand. His eyes grew wide.  
  
"M-m-m-mm-mmm-mm-mu-mu-muh-muh-muh-muh-MARIONETTES DON'T HAVE VEINS!!!!!!" he exploded, jumping backwards. Backing himself up against the wall he extended his finger and pointed in terror.  
  
"W-Who are you?! What are you?! GEYAAAAH!!" He began to freak out.  
  
Bloodberry ignored him and turned to Otaru. "Otaru, I need them...I was born with them...just like you."  
  
Otaru mouthed a single word silently. 'Born...' His eyes suddenly lit up in understanding. He looked over to Cherry and she nodded also. He shook his head in disbelief and ran his fingers through his hair. His breathing picked up and his eyes widened in shock.  
  
"L-Lime! What about her?!"  
  
"All three of us are, Otaru-sama."  
  
He sat there in utter disbelief. They couldn't be serious! There was no way! Terra II had never felt the footsteps of a...of a...  
  
"I got it!!" Hanagata pointed with a crazed smile on his face. "You're all men DISGUISED as Marionettes!!"  
  
No one paid the little blonde man any heed. Otaru had gotten thier message.  
  
"G-g-gimme one second." He said quickly rising. They watched him disappear into the kitchen and a moment later they heard him digging around in the cupboards. Bloodberry and Cherry exchanged looks and sat there listening to him. Suddenly there was a clanking noise and a loud *POP*. Cherry arched her eyebrow at Bloodberry. She looked back at her a moment before realizing what Otaru was going after. Leaping to her feet she took off into the kitchen.  
  
"Oh my god!! Otaru, the expensive Sake!!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Hanagata sat a distance away from either of the freaks but as close to Otaru as he could. Cherry and Bloodberry wanted badly to sit next to Otaru and comfort him, but they were afraid of how he would react. Hana had finally realized what Otaru had and was still shocked.   
  
There was a very good reason why they had veins and pulses and bones and muscles. They needed them for the same reason he and Otaru did. For the same reason any man on Terra II did.  
  
  
...They were human.  
  
  
They were real, flesh and blood creatures. Women, both of them. That was why they could laugh and cry and carry on conversation and fight like they did. They had real human brains in their heads.  
  
  
Women...  
  
  
They had to be the first. They were the first to EVER set foot on Terra II. Hana eyed them carefully. They could be the salvation of everyone on the planet. It was rumored in old legends that from women came incredible pleasure and offspring. Hanagata had no idea if either of these things were true. From the looks of them it would be incredibly difficult for any of them to harbor an unborn child until the time it hatched. He'd seen the cloning vats and knew that fetuses could get big before they were born. As for the pleasure part, from what he had seen by the type of clothes they wore they had no 'pleasure parts' to speak of like the other men on Terra II. He had no idea how they could possibly fill that department if they were missing the toolset. If pleasure meant their companionship and love...well, he'd known them all their time they were in Otaru's care and he hated them from first sight and ever since.  
  
  
...So much for pleasure...  
  
  
Otaru had his face buried in his hands. He was lost deep in thought. They were women all right. Real, live, honest to God women. Everything made sense all of a sudden to him. All their emotion and love was not generated artificially by a microchip but by a real thinking and reasoning brain. All this time he'd been adored by the first three real women on the planet and he still brushed them off and yelled at them. Even worse was that he never noticed any of these things before. Not once did he realize that they were more than what met the eye. What the hell had been wrong with him?  
  
Even still, they told him that they still deeply loved them and trusted him enough to reveal who they really were. They were human, just like him.  
  
  
...Just like him...  
  
  
Otaru's eyebrows met. Or were they? They moved and fought just like combat dolls. They had their strength, agility, speed, stamina, everything. But if they were human how could they? Questions finally punched through the numbness in his mind.  
  
Why could they do that? Who were they really? Where did they come from? How did they come to be...  
  
He looked up at Cherry and Bloodberry. He started for a minute before he finally spoke.  
  
"Ok...Ok... All right. Here come the questions. Where-"  
  
Bloodberry cut him right off. "Wait, Otaru. We'll explain where we come from in a bit. It's a long story. You said you had a few other questions?"  
  
"Fine..." He said nodding slowly. "Ok, fine... You three move like combat dolls, yet you tell me that you are human. No man in Japoness or even the world can move like you three do. No one except Keinaro has ever touched you three before. Why is that?"  
  
"We and Keinaro are virtually the same." Cherry said slowly. "We both were born with enhancements that were designed to give our bodies specializations that would make us stronger than any of those born through regular cloning. The difference lies in experience. Hajima has gray eyes. He is an elite combat clone. He was taught combat in all its art and glory from a very young age. His entire life has been spent in training. We have only spent a few years training ourselves and, thus, are much, much less experienced than he."  
  
Otaru cocked his head. "Huh? But you still won. What are you talking about?"  
  
Bloodberry shook her head. "We only won because he let us."  
  
His eyes narrowed a bit. "What?"  
  
"Please trust me Otaru, if he were serious about killing us I would have died on that street. I'm not trained for killing like he is. I won because he didn't want to hurt me."  
  
"But he ran from Cherry. He looked scared of her."  
  
"That's because, Otaru-sama, he was a different type than I." Cherry said refilling Otaru's glass. "When we were born, we were born with different traits or attributes. I have enhanced my combat sensor, Bloodberry's worked on strength and muscle and Lime has speed. Each of these areas have a weakness to them that can be exploited by an opposite system. Combat sensors can be overcome by brawn, brawn can be overcome by speed and speed is overcome by combat sensors."  
  
Otaru clasped his fingers loosely in front of his mouth. He was becoming confused. "What?"  
  
"Combat sensors are designed to predict an enemy's move, but if won't help if you can't block or properly counter the enemies' attack because they are too strong. Their hits will break through any defense you put up.  
  
"Brawn is all muscle though. While it's fast and rather strong, it's not THAT fast. Any one who has the speed trait can run circles around those with brawn. All that strength and they won't be able to hit anything. They'll strike at nothing but air.   
  
"But speed won't help when you have a combat sensor system like mine, Otaru-sama. You can be as fast as you want to be but it won't help when the enemy knows when, where and how to block your every move just as you execute them. The combat system gives us that advantage of foresight.   
  
"I am not telling you that these rules show what always happens. It isn't unheard of that a strong male defeats a faster one, or a faster one defeats a combat man. These rules are simply the guidelines upon which our skill is based upon."  
  
Otaru and Hanagata were totally lost.  
  
"What are you talking about? You three are human. No one I know is born with these, 'traits' or what ever you call them. Who has a combat sensor built into them? Nobody I know."  
  
Cherry sighed. "Otaru-sama, were born with an endoskeleton."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"An endoskeleton. Like any of the warriors who were born in the high level cloning labs. You've never read about them in the history texts?"  
  
Otaru shook his head. This was getting weird... "No, what's an endoskeleton?"   
  
Bloodberry took over. "An endoskeleton is a wire net that encompassed the whole of our bodies. It was in us when we were born. All three of us were born with the exact same net. As our bodies grew and matured the net adapted and changed itself to suit the new conditions. It changed depending on our physical attributes and our personalities. It's really a blessing for us. On top of giving us our strength, power and attributes if we are ever wounded the net would heal it much faster than normal. I've heard stories of some who could do the opposite to themselves. They would be able to willingly wound themselves by causing a portion of the net to heat up and burn. They used this when they were undercover and had to pose as regular people. If their wounds healed too quickly it would give them away. Reopening them helped hide its healing ability."  
  
Otaru was still shaking his head. "I've never heard of this before."  
  
"Take our word for it, Otaru-sama." Cherry said softly. "This is what makes us different from you and Hanagata-sama. That is why we can do what we do."  
  
Bloodberry muttered under her breath. "That's why we found that wire in Naro..."  
  
Otaru groaned into his hands. He'd never heard about this 'endoskeleton' before. Not from anywhere. But there was no other way to explain what he had been told. It seemed he would have to take their word on it this once. Nodding slowly he looked back up. "Ok... Then what does this have to do Keinaro?"  
  
"He was born in the same labs as us. He was born to kill, whereas Bloodberry and I were born for very different reasons."   
  
"That doesn't tell me how you three were able to defeat him."  
  
"He's both speed and strength, Otaru. He appears to lean much more toward speed though. His endoskeletal system has taken up its traits."  
  
"What? He's both? How... Didn't you just finish telling me..."  
  
Bloodberry chuckled. "The human body will change and evolve as you push it to its limits. Same thing with the skeleton. It's not uncommon for one such as he to learn to master two or even all three skills. Those that do are given the highest honors. They are the combat kings. They are never defeated. They have the counters, speed and brawn to take on all comers. They're given a special name."  
  
Cherry nodded slowly. "Bishops..."  
  
  
Otaru sat back and rubbed his eyes. "All right. Let's just assume that what you are saying is all true. I have never seen any man on Terra II with these qualities that you speak of. I've never seen or heard of any 'Bishops' around here. Where are these people?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure they're long dead Otaru-sama." Cherry said. "They're no longer around. They've been destroyed, or so we hope. A lot of time has passed since we left."  
  
"Keinaro's very much around. He's sleeping on my bed."  
  
Bloodberry chugged her tea and set the glass back down. "Otaru... this is where things are going to get very weird. Even more than what we've told you already. You're just going to have to continue to take our word for this, there is nothing else you can do. Please remember, Otaru, we are not lying to you, we only want you to know the truth."  
  
"O...k..." He said very slowly.  
  
Bloodberry nodded to Cherry and continued.  
  
"Otaru-sama. We, all three of us, were born a very, very long time ago."  
  
"How long?"  
  
She paused. "...By what you tell us, close to seven hundred years."  
  
Everyone was quiet at the table for a minute. Suddenly Hanagata stood up and started to walk swiftly away.  
  
"Ok, that's it. I'm going back home."  
  
Bloodberry reached out and dragged him back to his spot. "Sit down."  
  
With a groan Hanagata slumped back down. Otaru frowned at Cherry.  
  
"Seven hundred years? That's impossible. Are you telling me that he is seven hundred years old as well?" he said pointing to his room.  
  
"No, Otaru-sama, you misunderstand. I didn't say we were that old. I said we were born seven hundred years ago."  
  
Otaru's eye narrowed even further. "...Ok... Ok that's it! Just- just tell me. I want to know how you came to be. I want to know where you three were born. I want to know WHEN you three were born! Tell me everything. This nonsensical bullshit is loosing me. Don't talk to me in riddles or dodge my questions. Just give it to me straight. Tell me where you come from and how you were born so long ago and why that man who is sleeping in my room is doing so."  
  
Slowly Cherry and Bloodberry nodded. This was it. Bloodberry took the lead of the story.  
  
"All right, Otaru. Please hear us out. We will not lie to you. You want to know how we came to be, we will tell you. You too, Hanagata. You have as much right to know as Otaru, even if you are a queer little asshole."  
  
Ignoring the now flaming Hanagata, Bloodberry took some tea and began.  
  
"Our story really starts a few millennia ago. At the dawn of the second millennium of Earth's old recorded history they stumbled upon a scientific breakthrough. They'd finally mapped out human DNA. Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid. DNA as you know, Otaru, is the code inside your body that regulates what cells do, what you look like, and sometimes how you think. DNA is the code that is you stored deep, deep inside your cells.   
  
"Adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. These are the four components, or bases, that compose all DNA strands. Adenine to Thymine, and Cytosine to Guanine. Those two pairs in an infinite chain make up all DNA found in both man and woman. Yes, Otaru, Women have DNA almost exactly like men. Both are composed of the exact same building blocks, only in a different order.  
  
"Now fast forward 50 years. By now cloning on Earth had been banned for moral reasons but that didn't stop scientists from playing God. They learned to chain and build complex DNA strands from scratch. They create the first human ever from DNA totally assembled by themselves using the Cytosine, Adenine, Guanine and Thymine extracted from their own blood. This human is a woman. She was aptly named Eve.   
  
"When the world saw Eve they were amazed. She was of incredible beauty and grace. There were no other women on Earth who could compare to her. At first religious groups screamed and hollered about her, calling the scientists who created her monsters. Charges were brought up against them for their creation but were soon dropped after the courts realized that Eve wasn't a clone. She had been made entirely from scratch DNA bases. There were no laws preventing that.  
  
"Eventually, as time passed, Eve came to be loved by all. She was renowned by all for her kindness, humbleness and generosity. She made her creators very rich, but she belonged to no one. The courts had ruled that because she was a human she had all the rights given to such and was not considered property. Often she would give what she had to the poor. She would donate time and money and influence toward peace. She became wise to the ways of man and learned how to help him. Up until the day she died she was loved and respected by all. Those who had been for her destruction at first changed their ways as they saw her push herself as she did for the safety and happiness for her fellow man. Surely, they reasoned, such a beautiful creature with such a heart is not a curse brought about by technology, but a blessing given to them from thier God or Gods on high.   
  
"Eve lived to be one hundred and sixty years old, a testament to her gene encoders. She outlived them by almost one hundred years. The whole world mourned her loss and it was decided that unless necessary, another like her should never be made. People were still cautious about gene manipulation and decided that creating another Eve would be like shaming her name. She was like a Goddess. She lived as best she could and touched an entire planet. It took a long time for those who felt her kindness to go back on with their lives.  
  
"It was a funny decision to be sure, but it was one they made. Time passed again and eventually Mesopotamia left Earth. On her way to colonize a new planet the computer core with an experimental AI system malfunctioned and killed the entire crew except 6 men who escaped in a landing vessel down to a cold and barren planet. Afterwards Mesopotamia misfired her boosters and plummeted to the same planet and destroyed herself upon it.  
  
"At a loss as how to survive without women, those six men decided it was best to clone themselves in order to stay alive. They used their own DNA as a map to make more men and soon they started to turn the broken and barren rock that was this planet into the Terra II we know of today.  
  
"However, they were obsessed with women. They still desperately wanted to have their own. To have a woman and have a real child of their own were actions all six men constantly yearned for. Eventually, as they started to spread across the planet, they came across the wreckage of Mesopotamia. There, they found the keys they were looking for to realize their dreams.  
  
"When Mesopotamia left Earth, she had in her Data Cores all of the knowledge Earth had to offer for them. Included in this database were the maps to basic Male and Female DNA codes. The 6 men didn't need the male codes - each one had their own set of codes inside their own bodies inside each of their cells. However basic female encoding was a little harder to come by. Somehow those six were able to salvage the data core from the wreckage and bring it back home. There they found what they were looking for...  
  
"...Well, almost. The Data core had been severely damaged and all they were able to pull from the woman's DNA map were bits and pieces of code. They learned that the only way they were ever going to get real live women back onto the planet was by guessing and checking with the last bits of the code. Realizing that the task could take them hundreds of years because of the complexity of the missing pieces they decided to create someone who would continue their work and realize their dream one day. This man was a combination of all six men. He was called Zero. Later, after the original six finally died leaving the care of Terra II in his hands, he took the new name- Ghenna.  
  
"He ruled over Terra II for many, many years, re-cloning himself when ever needed, copying his memories from one clone to another, and re-cloning the original 6 as per their requests. He divided the 6 men into 6 kingdoms and let them rule each of the kingdoms under him. The 6 took orders only from him. It was ironic because while in the beginning they had been the creators, in the end he was their master.  
  
"Ghenna built a mighty empire on top of the 6. It was called Mesopotamia, after the fathership that carried us to this world, and upon this empire he continued to research woman. He used the incomplete information from the Data core and the best science teams he had to continue the testing. Using logical combinations of DNA they ran possible strands through the central computer and used it to see if the code would theoretically be stable or not.  
  
"After two hundred years and Ghenna's fourth re-birth as a clone they finally completed the first logical string of code. They strung it together in hopes that a female would be created. The creature that was born wasn't even human. It lived a short and miserable life after it was disconnected from the respirator and heart machine that kept it alive. Ghenna was very unhappy at the results, but he knew that they were on their way to creating the first woman ever made on Terra II. He held back his anger in hopes that the science team would continue their progress.  
  
"Time and time again they tried and time and time again only mutations came out of the spawning pool. Finally on the fifth try what came out was human. Or so they thought. The creature was horribly mentally deficient. After three weeks they killed her and went back to redirecting the code. On the next try, their code was better. The woman that was born was much more competent but still handicapped to a degree. It was said that when she was killed she knew what was going to happen and fought bitterly to save herself.  
  
"Finally they decided that seven was to be their lucky number. They tested out twenty different combinations of their known code to see what would result. Out of the twenty, only 15 were born. Out of 15 only eight were deemed stable. These eight were considered to be the first real females ever to walk the face of Terra II. These were the women that the original six dreamed about. Their vision had finally come true."  
  
Bloodberry stopped and sipped some tea. Otaru swallowed.  
  
"Bloodberry, Cherry, are you two-"  
  
Bloodberry cut him off and pulled her hair away from her neck and turned her head. There was a small hole on the nape of her neck that looked like a small socket for a plug and above that, a small roman numeral. It had been tattooed on.  
  
"I was number 17. Cherry was 5."  
  
Otaru and Hanagata sat back. They had become speechless. For the first time in Hanagata's life he had no idea what to say. This was too much to handle so quickly. What they were saying couldn't be true, could it? If so why were there no women around today? Where did Mesopotamia go? Why aren't there any records of it even existing? Why...  
  
Otaru's mind raced as well. The same questions were surfacing. Bloodberry reached over and took hold of his shoulder. He jumped at her touch.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
He looked back at her silently. Slowly she let her arm fall and Otaru stood. He began to pace back and forth, his chin cupped between two fingers and eyes closed pensively. Slowly he moved across the floor letting what they had just told them sink in. They were created by taking DNA, breaking the bases apart and putting them back together in the proper order for women. They were created in a lab over one half millennia ago by a civilization he'd never heard of. And they were now sitting by him, telling them their story...  
  
Finally he shook his head and sat back down.  
  
"All right." He said with a sigh. "What happened next?"  
  
Bloodberry nodded with a small smile and let Cherry take over.  
  
"Otaru-sama, our experiences at birth were all very similar. Everything was a deep haze, all we could really remember was cold, blinding white and the smell. There was this permanent smell of artificial embryonic fluid in the air. That was something we all distinctly remember. That and the light...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
All eight of them were sleeping soundly in their rooms, all resting on their tables. The tests showed that they were mentally stable and their DNA codes were solid. They'd finally done it. They had created women. These eight were the true Eves of Terra II. They were created from man, and from them new life would spread. Each of them were isolated in their respective rooms sleeping like infants.  
  
Ghenna passed by each one and smiled every time he looked inside through the one-way mirror. He was aging and growing thin. His face was narrow, his lips thin. His eyes were two stones set deep into their own ancient sockets. They were a faded cerulean, shifty, hard, and very, very cunning. Some people said they even glittered depending on his mood. When his anger was peaked his eyes seemed to glitter like two angry jewels. When he was pleased they were cool and flat. Ghenna was known for his eyes. His empire was all but built upon them.  
  
Beside him was a much larger man than himself. The man looked much younger than his master Ghenna. He was tall, imposing and very strong. He was one of the special breeds, revealed by his gray eyes. They were flat and at most times emotionless. He was very special. He had worked his way to the top of the elite hunter breeds. He was the biggest, strongest and fastest combat hunter in existence. He wasn't simply a Bishop, He was the Arch-Bishop of all the combat Bishops in the whole of the land. He was a hunter/killer who had mastered all three corners of the combat chart to their finest detail. He was as fast as they came, as strong as they came, and as cunning as they came. Unstoppable in combat, this Arch-Bishop was the pride and joy of Ghenna. He went by the name Kaiser.  
  
Slowly he followed behind his leader and peered into each of the rooms. So these were women...  
  
Ghenna's smile seemed to deepen. "Look at them Kaiser. Just look! Women! Real women like this world as never seen before!! Gorgeous, aren't they? Beautiful work, all of them!"  
  
Kaiser cocked his head. "Beautiful? They all have bags of flesh hanging from their chests and they seem to be missing..." he trailed off and bent his head to stare at one of the women. "...Missing their reproductive organs."  
  
Ghenna laughed. "Kaiser, Kaiser, Kaiser. Those bags of flesh are for babes to suckle and feed upon when they are first born, and their organs for reproduction are on the inside. They are meant to receive the seed of man inside their bodies where children grow. Fascinating when you think about it."  
  
Kaiser shook his head. "Their hair, It has no color."  
  
"Because, my dear boy, they are just hatched. They breached their cells only six hours ago. Hair color wont form for another two weeks minimum."  
  
"And they are born as adults?"  
  
"No they're still children at heart, Kaiser. We aged them some so that we can take advantage of their reproductive abilities sooner. The children they eventually will bear will be of normal size."  
  
Kaiser shook his head anyway. "So now we have to teach them how to speak, and how to read and all the basics of learning and knowledge."  
  
Ghenna laughed once again. "No, no. We have imprinted memories of knowledge in their minds already. They know everything they need to know to talk and read and such. All they have to do is remember it."  
  
"It will still be teaching children." he said regarding them with a scowl. "Are you sure these eight are fully competent?"  
  
"Yes, Kaiser. We are sure. Here, come over here and take a look at this!" Ghenna said walking down to the end of the row. He pointed inside to the woman lying under covers on the small bed. "Her tests indicate her mind is operating at a much higher level than the other seven. We think it has to do with something in the DNA code we gave her. Do you know what this means?"  
  
"Not a clue."  
  
"It means that she could be a psychic! She could have psychic powers!"  
  
Kaiser sniffed. "Great, all we need are more psychics and harbingers of doom on this God forsaken rock..."  
  
Ghenna kicked Kaiser in the leg. "No, you idiot, I don't mean one of those magic eight ball psychics. Not those palm readers or Tarot card frauds. I mean a real psychic. A woman with real psycho-kinesis. She could possibly read minds, manipulate objects with mere thought or even cause some real destruction..."  
  
Kaiser turned back and looked at the woman. She slept peacefully on, as innocent as any child in their crib. Could such a small creature really have this power his master was talking about? Kaiser watched the woman sleep for a few moments longer.  
  
"So they don't have the same organs us men have, huh Lord Ghenna?"  
  
"No." He said shaking his head. "They have cavities in their place where they receive the seed of man. It is said that each one of these women are capable of giving exquisite pleasure to their lovers. I intend to find this out first hand! I look forward with joy to this." He turned and looked up at Kaiser. "Wouldn't you like one or two as your own, Kaiser? They would make excellent servant mates and you too can partake of their pleasure."  
  
Kaiser chuckled and turned to walk away. "I don't need servants, and I've never really been into other men myself. What makes you think I would want a woman?"  
  
Ghenna watched him walk off a moment before bursting out into laughter. "HaHA! Kaiser, you will be missing out if that is your decision! I'm offering you the first women ever to walk upon Terra II and you turn them down? Either you are truly uninterested in them, you are indeed very foolish!"  
  
Kaiser merely shook his head and raised his arm behind him. He no intention of coupling with those disgusting creatures out there. This was one honor he was glad to pass up.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Time passed as it always did and slowly each of the women stirred to life. Inside their own cells they were shut away from anyone else. They were in contact with no living thing, just as Ghenna had ordered. They were to be studied to make sure that the memory imprints that had been done had been done correctly. Ghenna also wanted to make sure that each of them was perfectly healthy with no flaws or defects in their physical state. Each one was closely observed behind their thin pane of glass.  
  
All of them were confined to a small fifteen by fifteen room. The walls were stark white, the ceiling the same, as was the ground. The only thing in there other than themselves was the single bed and the toilet. Much to Ghenna's utter delight each of them remembered to use it almost from the beginning. After once or twice of using the floor or a corner the smell got too bad for them and they remembered what to do correctly.   
  
Food was provided through a little slot in the floor that opened only when they were asleep. They wore nothing. It was Ghenna's request that they remain as pure as possible for as long as possible. He was fascinated with their natural state. Their bodies were new and exquisite to him. Each one was different. From their wide, curvaceous hips up to their slim waists down to their smooth legs he took a distinct pleasure in observing them. He remembered old stories the original six used to tell him about how women's legs would be smooth and silky when the skin was totally bare. Upon finding that hair was supposed to naturally grow along their legs, Ghenna had the DNA science team omit that line of code. The key code was changed to remove hair from other places, stop imperfections from growing, control any acne they might have and whatever other cosmetic imperfections they might come across. They were to be perfect and pure, a symbol of the might and power of mankind.  
  
Some were of smaller stature, others were much larger. Some seemed to have developed more than others as well. Some were taller, some were stronger, some were more petite. As they observed the girls their natural hair color came out. Surprisingly, their color seemed to match their personalities. Ghenna was delighted to find this. Some had fiery red hair that seemed to come out at all angles and match tempers of the same degree. Others had cooler hair color that flowed down and around smoothly which matched much more complacent attitudes.   
  
As they furthered their studies they began to classify and label each woman they had created. Eventually Ghenna decided to name them and give them the attributes given to their own elite soldiers. These women were to be creatures above all men, so it would be fitting that their bodies suited such a nature.  
  
Most of the woman's bodies seemed to naturally suit one of the three named physical states granted by the system. Ghenna went from window to window and watched each of them. He took down notes as to their personality, hair color, recommended attribute, and anything else he took notice of. They were all different and new to him. His notes went as follows:  
  
  
#7  
Hair Color: Black  
Eye Color: Blue  
Physical build: Medium  
Recommended System: Her frame supports both speed and power.   
Notes: Possible Psychic. Appears to have a very strong will. Seems to be very light hearted. Has qualities for leadership.   
Name: Leska  
  
  
#5  
Hair Color: Purple  
Eye Color: Blue  
Physical Build: Small  
Recommended System: Frame supports only pre-emptive combat system.  
Notes: Seems to be very calm, very tranquil. Underdeveloped feeding sacks could pose problem as a birth mother. Despite this, seems to have some qualities for breeding.  
Name: Satomi  
  
  
# 10  
Hair Color: Blue  
Eye Color: Blue  
Physical Build: Medium  
Recommended System: Pre-emptive Combat System.  
Notes: Very observant. Seems to be a perfect match for combat system. Very cool and relaxed. Good-natured.  
Name: Krysta  
  
  
#6  
Hair Color: Blue  
Eye Color: Green  
Physical Build: Small  
Recommended System: Speed  
Notes: Seems very lithe and agile. Her smallish frame is perfect for a speed system. Very sullen though. Seems to be bit moody, sometimes dour. A problem that may need to be fixed later on.  
Name: Aisha  
  
  
#3  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Eye Color: Blue  
Physical Build: Medium  
Recommended System: Speed  
Notes: Fourth one born with blue eyes, I think we have mastered the art of that eye color. Perhaps I will have to mention it to science team to vary it a bit more next time. This one shows promise in area of speed despite slightly larger frame. Very active. Could also specialize in the area combat strength.  
Name: Nanaka  
  
  
#14  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Eye Color: Brown  
Physical build: Small  
Recommended System: None yet.  
Notes: This one is very peculiar. Seems to be the cleverest out of the whole group. Posses no real strength in any of the given areas. However shows promise as a birth mother. Has very gentile demeanor. Body and build seem well suited for task of breeding.  
Name: Katsumi  
  
  
#18  
Hair Color: Red  
Eye Color: Red  
Physical build: Large  
Recommended System: Combat strength.  
Notes: Appears to be rather aggressive. Body is built for strength and power. Would be well suited for sheer brawn. Possible loose cannon, though.  
Name: Aiko  
  
  
#19  
Hair Color: Red  
Eye Color: Brown  
Physical Build: Large  
Recommended System: Combat Strength.  
Notes: This one, as well, appears to be aggressive. Her physical stature is also well suited for combat strength. Less likely to be a loose cannon than Aiko, might be a strong leader.  
Name: Asuka [Author's note: :P]  
  
  
  
For the first few weeks they led solitary lives. They knew of no other people other than themselves. They realized that they knew things that had been sitting in the back of their minds for the longest time. Katsumi, Aisha and Leska all on their own remembered language and how to talk. While their speech was far from perfect, Ghenna smiled when he heard their broken language flow from their mouths. He knew that with a little practice they would remember everything and that broken tongue could become whole.  
  
Their voices were music to him. They were much higher than those of most men. At first the science teams though that there had been something wrong with their vocal cords. After they found they were fine they thought the problem lie in the DNA string, but when they went back to check it they found the pattern for vocal cords had been recovered in the data core. In the end they figured that their voices were exactly as they should be.   
  
Their voices were sweet and melodious (to themselves) and rang like the finest instruments. Even their senseless chatter with themselves was like the song of the sweetest bird. Accepting the women's higher-than-normal voices came naturally to the men in the end. Things they also noticed were the way the women walked. They moved with grace and fluidity, unlike most men. They were a little unsteady at first, but memory and instinct helped them gain poise. After they got walking down, jumping and running came with ease, though they didn't have very much room to do either.  
  
They learned most other things those first few weeks by themselves, but the time came when Ghenna decided that they learn about others. They would learn that there are others out there besides them and they would slowly learn how to interact with one another. Hopefully language would spring forth more naturally as well as other social skills. It was decided almost unanimously by the science team that clothing would be held off until a later date. To this day the real reasons behind their decision remain clouded in mystery...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
One morning the women awoke to find an opening in their four walls. They were very curious at first. To all of them their little world had suddenly changed in a drastic way- There was a hole that went somewhere in their room. To most of them this concept was totally new. There was more out there than they had first originally thought. The four walls that was the scope of their lives now had a hole in it. Their own world, for the first time ever, expanded.   
  
Ghenna decided that at first they would only meet one other girl. That way the shock wouldn't be so dramatic. Despite that, when they first met their partner utter shock was what best described the moment. Ghenna watched with a smile as they met. Fear, caution and shock were what he saw most of.  
  
He decided to pair Aisha and Satomi together because of their sizes. Aisha was the more curious of the two and traveled down her hallway first. When she came to the end she found herself in a larger room than the one she had previously come out of. The roof above her was made of glass. As she looked up she saw, for the first time in her life, inky blackness. It was the first time she had ever seen the sky. It was still very early in the morning hours and the sun had not yet come up. The whole room was lit by soft lights that hugged the walls along the ground. While they were dim, she still could see everything. The room was much larger than her old one. She saw what looked like beds, only they were bent upwards at an angle. They were bent beds. As she focused in on these she seemed to remember their names. They came up out of the blur of her mind and manifested themselves. They were "seats", or "chairs". One of the two, she couldn't remember exactly. They looked so soft...  
  
As she started to head over to them a sound to her left caused her to jump. Until then, she had never heard any sounds anywhere except the ones made by herself. Her heart began to beat and race as she looked over. What was that?!  
  
  
It was another woman.  
  
  
At first Aisha thought that it was another "mirror", like the one inside her old room. But she noticed that the person was not standing but squatting down. She also noticed that her hair was not blue, like her own. It was purple.  
  
"Mirror?" She said looking over to the new girl. "Funny mirror?"  
  
She giggled and walked over. "Funny mirror!"  
  
But the girl who she thought was a mirror squeaked and took a few steps back. Aisha stopped dead in her tracks. She realized that this wasn't a mirror. This was another... her! Her mind began to formulate words and these words began to form into sentences. Was she real? Could she talk? I am not alone! These thoughts ran through Aisha's head in a flash.  
  
"I... not...Ah, Al...l...lone." She stammered out. "Not alone... Not alone!!"  
  
With a cheerful giggle she ran forward to this new person wanting to see who it was, but to her dismay the girl squeaked again and ran further down the tunnel where she turned and looked back at Aisha.   
  
"Aiii..." Aisha said sadly. Why was she running? I want to meet her. Her mind began to form words again.  
  
"W-wait! No... No, rrrun! W-wait!" Slowly came out. The girl at the end of the tunnel didn't move. Aisha took a step forward and the other girl took a step back. Aisha frowned.  
  
"No! No run!"  
  
She took anther step forward. The girl took a step back.  
  
"Bahakana!" she spat in frustration, kicking the ground. What was wrong with her? She wanted to meet her! Why was she running? Aisha sat down and curled her legs close. The other girl did the same. They watched each other for at least 10 minutes. Aisha became frustrated. She'd realized that every time she moved forward, that girl would move back. So she reasoned that she couldn't go forward.  
  
'Maybe Aisha catch her!' She thought. But no, she quickly discarded that idea. Maybe she would go away for good if she did. There had to be a better way. Aisha began to reason with herself.  
  
I can't meet her. She doesn't "talk." She "sits." When I move toward her she runs away. She won't come to me. Why won't she come to me? I want to meet her. I want to meet her, why won't she come?  
  
"Scared?" Aisha said aloud suddenly. The girl at the other end of the hallway jumped. 'Why...why would she be scared?' Aisha thought.  
  
"Hungry!" She said leaping up. The new girl squealed and jumped to her feet and backed away a few more steps. Aisha ignored her for a moment and turned around smiling knowingly. She took off back through the new room and down her old tunnel. When she reached her old room she ran over to her bed and reached under it. Hidden away in the gear works underneath it was a small handful of dry food. They were like pellets. They were small and of a brownish color, but they were sweet and good to eat. Aisha had been storing them away whenever she ate, just in case something happened or she felt the urge for a few munchies.  
  
Taking them she rushed back up the tunnel and surprised the new girl who had peeked her head out from her tunnel wondering what had happened to her. With a startled yell she took off back down her passageway again. Aisha rounded the corner with a large grin on her face. She watched as the new girl sat down at the other end and begin watching her like before.  
  
Aisha took the food she had collected and placed it on the ground in front of her. She saw as the girl at the other end immediately perked up. She recognized the food almost immediately. Aisha reached down and took a few and ate them. She made sure she had the other girl's full attention. Then dividing the food into two piles she pushed one pile away from herself to the other girl. To Aisha's delight the other girl rose and cautiously made her way forward.  
  
Slowly she inched her way closer. Aisha smiled disarmingly and waited cross-legged for the other girl to come closer. When she reached the small pile, she slowly and very, very cautiously extended her hand outwards toward it. Taking a pellet from the pile she retreated a bit and squatted down eyeing Aisha suspiciously. Aisha giggled and watched her munch on in. Swallowing, the other girl began to smile. It was real food.   
  
Slowly she came forward again. This time she sat down some distance from the food and reached her hand out only when she thought it was safe. Aisha chewed a few more of the sweet pellets thoughtfully. She wasn't very hungry and thought of a better idea for the food. She took what was left of her pile and pushed it towards the new girls rapidly diminishing pile. The new girl saw this and flinched back a bit, but realized that Aisha was only giving her more. She smiled and took a few more not realizing that Aisha had inched her way a few inches closer.  
  
She watched with amazement as the new girl ate with relish. She seemed very hungry.  
  
"Hungry." Aisha said proudly. The other girl looked up and began to smile. She swallowed a pellet and lunged forward suddenly hugging Aisha. Aisha was caught totally off guard by this and squeaked nervously. This new girl was heavy, and warm, and smelly! But it took Aisha three seconds to get past those. It was the first time she had ever been touched by anything else. Smiling back Aisha hugged her back. She had no real idea what they were doing, but it felt good. Some smudged memory told her it was all right. Aisha giggled to her new friend and pulled away a bit. She stared back into the new girl's face. She was so soft and warm. Aisha ran her palm up her cheek and felt her shoulders and arms and down to her belly. She was real! She was really real!  
  
The new girl stroked Aisha's hair and smiled. She'd come to the same conclusion herself. She leaned forward and put her ear to Aisha's chest bone. Something she learned was that she made a noise, deep inside her own chest. Whenever she lay down on her bed she could hear it throbbing through the cushions and springs. She wanted to see if Aisha had the same thing. Aisha cocked her head and giggled. What was she doing? Her ear was cold!  
  
She saw her new friend's face light up as she heard Aisha's heart beating steadily inside her. She jumped up excitedly and hugged Aisha with all her might. Aisha smiled and hugged her back as well. She was really real! She was just like her! Finally they broke and sat back down looking at each other. Aisha pointed her thumb at herself and smiled.  
  
"Aisha!" She said proudly. She new that sound was a "name", more specifically "Her Name". She wondered if this new girl had one too.  
  
"Aisha!" she said again. "Aisha Aisha Aisha!" She said energetically. She was very excited. This was all new to her.  
  
The new girl cocked her head for a second wondering what she was doing. Realization dawned on her face and she smiled. She took her finger and pointed to her friend.  
  
"Aisha?"  
  
"Aisha! Aisha! Aisha!" She said again hopping up and down.  
  
The new girl smiled. "Aisha!"  
  
"Aishaaa!"  
  
The new girl paused for a moment and began to think hard to herself. Slowly she tried to talk.  
  
"Sa-Sa-Sato-mi! Sato-mi!" she struggled out. This was the first time she ever tried formulating words. Upon learning Aisha was her friend's name a vague term surfaced in her memory. She remembered that it was her own "name." Name. Satomi.  
  
"Sato-omi!" She tried to say. "Sat- Satomi"  
  
Finally she nailed it. "Satomi!! SatomiSatomiSatomi" She said clapping her hands energetically. They both giggled. It was the first time they ever communicated with someone else and it was becoming an exciting experience.  
  
  
  
Ghenna watched how each of the women interacted with one another. He learned several new attributes about them by watching them. Satomi was a little bit more clever than he had originally thought. She was also much more shy. Aisha wasn't to stupid herself. He had been impressed at her method of attracting Satomi to her. She'd surprised him. She'd been the only one to think of hoarding her own food for any reason. Very impressive indeed.  
  
Krysta and Nanaka were paired up, along with Aiko and Asuka. Leska and Katsumi were the last pair to be joined up. Every pair seemed to get along quite well. Aiko and Asuka seemed to be a tad hostile to each other at first but their natural curiosity over came their caution and they became the closest pair in the whole group. Krysta and Nanaka got along very nicely as well. Leska and Katsumi paired up well too. Ghenna couldn't help but notice how Leska seemed to know someone was coming when Katsumi was traveling down her own tunnel, even before she reached the new common room.  
  
The glass above, in the new room, showed what appeared to be the sky. It really was a display screen that only showed an image of the sky. As the sun rose on Terra II so did it rise on the screen. At first they were intrigued as to what it was they were seeing. Eventually they correctly labeled it as "Sky" but had no real idea as to what it really was. Ghenna smiled knowing that they would learn soon enough.  
  
Language first developed faster than he had originally expected, but ended up taking much longer than was planned. Most of the women tended to make up their own noises or sounds for objects instead of using the names that should have come easily from memory. But at least they were talking. They were communicating and that was important. All that Ghenna was looking for was for them to express ideas and thoughts in the form of noises and sounds.   
  
  
  
"Ne, Satomi?"  
"Eah?"  
"Know why every time..."  
  
"Hey, Aiko."  
"Huh?"  
"Look out there, what see you..."  
  
"Hehehe, Stupid Naka."  
"NANAKA!"  
"Hahaha, make no difference."  
"Bah! Idiot Krys!"  
"GAH?!"  
  
"Leska-chan?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Have any-"  
"No, sorry. Ate all of it."  
"Oh..."  
  
  
Ghenna watched them play, and cuddle and talk and interact and even fight. He knew that it was the first time any of them were experiencing any of these emotions and he was taking pleasure in watching them live them out. They were his lambs beginning to live out their lives in peace and harmony. Soon, he figured, they will come to sexual maturity. And when they do...  
  
He smiled. He'd always wanted a son... why not eight?  
  
  
Kaiser watched the women mature and grow with a slight displeasure. They were like wild animals. He couldn't see any reason for Ghenna to be enjoying them this much. If he were in charge, they would be destroyed and this practice would never be dabbled in again.  
  
...But he wasn't. And he had to stand by watch them as much as Ghenna commanded. He'd been through the dorms while they were asleep before. They smelled, the whole lot of them. But then again, seeing as they had never washed before it made sense. They were all ratty and dirty and smelly. He hated going through there for any reason. But sometimes duty called and he was forced to trek through their pigsty. He knew what Ghenna planned on doing later on. It would only be a matter of time. He only hoped that he would never have to couple with such... DIRTY creatures. Never.  
  
Down the road Ghenna planned on having two pairs meet up. It wasn't too bad of an idea. They'll need more human interaction and that would help their language and interaction skills. Kaiser just hoped that they would install pools or something of that nature to help with their own hygiene. They needed a few badly.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
As Ghenna watched the women grow emotionally he began counting down days. The next plan was to pair up two pairs and expand their common rooms. In the end all their dorms will be linked together like one giant hamster maze. He wanted to know how fast they would learn and figure out these tunnels and passages. But that was sometime down the line after he had grouped all of them up.  
  
For the moment he decided to pair up the pairs. With the science teams approval he opened a new passage in their common room. This new tunnel sloped upwards into a newer, larger common. Much to Kaiser's displeasure they hadn't installed a bathing pool yet. There were a few seats, and even larger view of the sky and even a glass floor from which they could see down into what appeared to be a complex cave. "Tunnels" was the name that they ended up giving them.  
  
Ghenna paired up Aisha and Satomi with Krysta and Nanaka. Aiko and Asuka with Leska and Katsumi. All four of the pairs were very surprised to find a new doorway in their own rooms. Very slowly, and in pairs (They almost never left each other's side for any reason now.) they traveled up this new passage. When they reached the top they found their new room.   
  
  
...And the other pair.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Oh, Satomi. Where is Aisha?"  
  
She looked up over at Nanaka and shrugged. "Dun' know. Aisha's always going off to other places now. Dun' know where."  
  
Krysta, who had been laying on her back catnapping, looked up. "Think she went down to the smaller rooms."  
  
"Why? How come she always runs off like that? Where does she go? 'S boring down there all 'lone."  
  
"Go down and ask Naka. Maybe she tell you."  
  
"Sh' never smiles any more. She's so sad and frowny."  
  
Satomi giggled. "That even a word?"  
  
"Neh, poor Aisha. She never's happy no more. How come? What happened to her?"  
  
Krysta sat up and shook her head. "Dun' know. I go see now then. I be back in a little time."  
  
Satomi waved. "Ok."  
  
  
  
Krysta walked down the tube and began to take a look through all the rooms. Aisha was down there some where, It was just a matter of where. She found her sitting inside her old room leaning against a wall.  
  
"Aisha." she smiled. Aisha looked up momentarily startled and smiled back.   
  
"Krys."  
  
"Why are you doing down here? What is wrong?"  
  
Aisha leaned back and closed her eyes. "Dun' know. Dun' feel like talking much."  
  
"Lay back, sleep then. Why you down here? No smiled very much 'nymore."  
  
Aisha clutched her arms and turned her head away slightly. "Jus' thinking. Dun feel like talking much any more."  
  
"And smile?"  
  
"Hehe, no smile any more? I guess nothing new, nothing to smile at."  
  
"Satomi still smile, Naka too. How come you don't?"  
  
"Dun' know. Just don't feel like it I guess..."  
  
Krysta frowned. "Aisha sick?"  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "No, maybe you're right. I need to smile more. Smile, smile, eh?"  
  
Krysta smiled and pulled Aisha up. "Smile, Aisha! We all there is. Come back up."  
  
She turned and started to walk away up the tunnel. Aisha stood and turned to the little mirror she had in her wall. She wasn't so sure about them being all there was. On more than one occasion she thought she saw something move in it. Not a reflection like everything else in there, but more of a shadow moving behind it. She was sure there was something on the other side of that glass. Who built this place? Who gave them food? Who opened the doors? She was positive that there was more out there than what met the eye.   
  
  
'We are all there is.'   
  
  
Aisha shook her head and turned to walk back up the tunnel. No, there was something else out there. She knew it. They weren't alone.  
  
  
Behind the glass two science technicians watched Aisha go. The one on the left turned to his partner.  
  
"You don't think she knows about us? Do you?"  
  
"Knows about us?! The hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Well, every once and a while she'll turn to the glass and it's like she's looking right through it at us."  
  
"Bull. Now you're sounding like Delta team. They tell us that the psychic one does the same thing. It's all bullshit. You know the stories about the women of old. They're all vain bitches, the whole lot of them. They're probably just preening themselves, marveling at their own figures."  
  
"Yeah... but even still-"  
  
"Even still nothing. Just do your job and quit worrying about them. Those women probably can't even tie their own shoes much less see through a mirror. They're stupid. They can't even talk right."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Hey, Just shut up all right?! Leave the worrying to me. Drop this."  
  
The other man sighed and shook his head. "Yes sir."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
A week later Aisha had a dream. It was night time and all four of them were sleeping soundly on the floor of their largest common. Even though it wasn't cold at all they still cuddled close savoring each other's warmth. Aisha was in the middle with her head resting on Nanaka's soft belly.  
  
She was no stranger to dreams. She always had them. They were simply an extension of her day when she slept. She never questioned them. They were always pleasant. Often she would be spending happy times with her new friends. Other times she would be dreaming about wandering about their cavern. Still other times about sleeping. She had very little exposure to any outside world and thus her thoughts kept to what little she knew. Rarely she dreamed about the "tunnels" under their feet in the common and falling gracefully down into them and exploring a bit, or about flying through the glass window above and holding that warm, glowing orb that gave them light everyday. Every so often she would dance with the stars and swim with the clouds. After these nights she would wake up happy and refreshed and would smile often in the morning and through that day.   
  
But that night the dream was very different. She was running. Deep down in the tunnels. There was little light and everything was becoming very dark. For the first time in her life she felt fear. Cold, hard, unreasoning fear. She could tell there was something behind her. Something that she knew wanted her. She wasn't sure of what it was exactly, but it was big- She could tell. It was very big.   
  
  
"Monster"  
  
  
It was terrible. She wanted to escape it. She wanted it to go away. She didn't want to hurt. She didn't do anything to it, but it was chasing her nonetheless. ...And it was getting closer.  
  
Aisha wanted to fly away like she did in her other dreams. She wanted to rise above the ground and blast away at astonishing speeds. She could escape the tunnels if she could only rush away. But her feet never left the ground. They stayed firmly on the solid earth, holding the rest of her body with them.   
  
Aisha began to panic. She did not like this in the least. Not at all. Why couldn't she run away. It was going to catch her. It was going to hurt her. She had this terrible feeling that it was going to hurt her badly. It so wanted to hurt her.  
  
With a cry of dismay she tumbled to her knees. With out so much a look back she scrambled up and started to run... and found herself in one of the tubes. With out so much as a second thought she tore down it with as much speed as she could muster. The lights were dim and the tube took a much more creepy tone. The light was beginning to fade as she dashed on and everything was becoming dark. Risking a glance back down the tunnel she saw something terrible.  
  
It was a pair of eyes. They were coming after her. They were blank eyes; totally white. They were angry eyes aimed at her. As Aisha ran she could see them getting steadily closer. Her mind, now in a complete state of utter panic and terror, went into a frenzy. Screaming at the top of her lungs she dashed headlong into the inky blackness praying that she could move fast enough to get away from this terrible monster.   
  
Suddenly she ran into something and came to a complete stop. She slipped and fell right onto her ass. It hit the hard ground with a cold smack. She looked up and saw a figure standing before her. It was huge. Bigger than Naka or Krysta, it was full head taller than Aisha. And it was muscular. Very muscular. It was very bulky. Its face was hidden in the shadows, Aisha couldn't see very much of it. She looked around and found that the tunnels had disappeared. She was out on a large flat plane. The sky above was black and the ground the same white as the color of the tubes, the stark white.   
  
Swallowing she looked up at the large person in front of her. She'd never seen anyone like him before.  
  
"Him? What is 'him'?" She thought to herself. Before she had a chance to think anymore the tall figure took a step back.  
  
"What-"   
  
He jumped forward and brought his boot in a full arc slamming it straight into her stomach. With a painful cry she fell flat onto her belly.  
  
"GET UP." 'Him' spoke. 'Him's' voice was loud and booming. It echoed throughout the nether space.  
  
"GET UP."  
  
Aisha felt another kick slam itself into her side. She cried out in pain and rolled on the ground.  
  
"GET UP CHILD! GET UP NOW!"  
  
'Him's' heavy foot slammed down her stomach causing her to crunch and fold up in pain. Aisha'd never felt like this before. This was far too intense for her. She couldn't breathe.  
  
"HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO FIGHT IT WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN DEFEAT ME?"  
  
Aisha's eyes clamped shut and she curled her body up. She didn't see the heavy foot crash itself upon her face. The next thing she knew was pain in her nose and cheeks and dizziness. Her body seemed to swirl about in an inky whirlpool of darkness. When she opened her eyes again she found herself back on her feet. 'Him' stood there calmly looking down at Aisha.  
  
"Little Child..." Him's voice became softer. "If you don't defeat me, then you will have no future. You will be like a footnote in the pages of history. Combat will define you." Him pointed to behind Aisha's back. "It will consume you. It will destroy you. It is impatient. It will keep you safe in your nightmares only as long as you can dance before it. Once it bores of the charade it will become volatile. It will break you. It will kill you."  
  
Aisha turned to find the shining, angry eyes directly behind her. With a scream she jumped up and backed away towards 'him'.   
  
"It won't hurt you so long as it enjoys you. Defeat me and you will earn its pleasure for many more days than otherwise given by fate. Loose to me, let me crush you, let me break you... and you and all you know will perish."  
  
Aisha stared at the glowing eyes with terror. They were safe? Safe from it? For how long?! Until when?!  
  
"Learn to speak, think on your own, remember clothing and culture, poetry and song, become human... and you might stand a chance."  
  
Aisha turned and looked up at 'him.' Slowly words began to form on her lips. These were new words. They were more "correct" than her old ones. They seemed more "right". Her mind, like a half open flower exposed to sunlight for the first time, opened wide and many things came to her. Language was the first and foremost of all these things.  
  
"Who...Who are you? What's going to happen to us?! What, what is that-"  
  
"Aisha..." him said softly. "Worry about bettering yourself. Worry about the safety of your family. Worry about those you will grow to love. Worry about standing when you will fall. It grows more impatient by the day. It sees a new future in you. As long as that future still shines in you, it will not destroy you. Learn Aisha. Learn and you will live. The only other alternative..."  
  
Him trailed off and suddenly the monster in front of her began to scream and cry out in rage. Aisha trembled in fear as the glowing, hateful eyes burned at her. They jumped up and rose high into the air and with a loud, fearful cry dived down onto Aisha. With a scream she brought her hands up to shield herself and closed her eyes.  
  
  
....With a scream she brought herself back into wakefulness. When she opened her eyes the entire room was pitch black. She had no idea where she was. She felt something jump under her head and across her legs and she screamed again. Fighting these things pressing against her she shot up and ran headlong into a wall. She fell back down slightly dazed. When a pair of hands grabbed her she began to shriek again. She covered her ears with her hands and rolled herself into a little ball. She stayed like this, screaming, until the lights finally came back on.   
  
When she re-opened her eyes she saw Satomi hovering above her.  
  
"AISHA! AISHA!! You ok?!"  
  
With tears starting to well up in her eyes Aisha lay there looking up into the kind face of Satomi.  
  
"S-Satomi!!" In a flash she was upon her and holding her tightly. She broke down and began to cry. It was the first time she'd ever done so in her life. She found water running down her cheeks and her eyes burned. Everyone else looked upon her with wonderment. What was happening to Aisha? What had caused her to act so strangely, screaming and wailing like that? Was she sick?   
  
"Aisha..." Naka said softly. Satomi held Aisha tightly and rocked back and forth softly cradling her. Aisha looked up at her with a mix of fear and sadness in her eyes.  
  
"I...I saw..." she sobbed out through the tears. "I s-saw a m-muh-monster a-and it chased me! It guh-got angry and almost hu-hurt me. I was s-s-so scared, Satomi! I was so s-scared!"  
  
"Tcha, Aisha. Don't worry now. You going to be ok. Sleep is gone. Monster gone. Satomi will keep you safe. Naka and Krys will keep you safe. 'S all right Aisha. All right..."  
  
Aisha fell back into her arms and brought forth new tears. It seemed so real. Too very real. As she cried in Satomi's arms Aisha decided once and for all to do what ever it took to push herself to the top. She knew that the dream had been real. That she had been in mortal danger. Her mind told her so. If she ever hoped to keep herself and the rest of her family alive she would have to be the one to rise when the others fell. Next time she saw 'him', she vowed, she wouldn't stop until she'd destroyed him. Conquering him would be their salvation.   
  
From that day forward until they left their chambers the women stepped into the real world, she waited for that "him" to come back to her dreams. She waited for her chance. She had no idea what the vision really meant, but still she waited for him. Every night. He didn't come until later. Much later. And not in her dreams.   
  
  
He came after the last set of doors were opened.  
  
  
It was in the pitch black of night almost 2 weeks after the second set had opened. No one noticed the door was open until the morning. Naka had been the first one up. She'd rolled over and opened her eyes to find herself staring down a long tunnel. She was drowsy and didn't notice that there should have been a wall there. She rolled back around and tried to snooze.  
  
With a snap her eyes came back open and she shot back over to make sure she saw what she did. Where the large wall should have been she saw instead a large gaping tunnel. It ran downwards for as far as she could see. Swallowing she turned back to her sleeping friends.  
  
"Krys! Krysta!! Aisha!! Satomi!! Wake up!! Wake up now!!"  
  
All three rolled over sleepily and groaned. Krys called up irritably. "Naka.. What's it?"  
  
Nanaka ran to the three sitting down and kicked them to wakefulness. "Baka! Wake up! New tunnel!! Wall is GONE! 'S not there no more!!"  
  
Krysta rolled over lazily and opened her eyes a crack glaring as best she could at Naka. Framed behind Naka was the very large opening.  
  
"Naka! Can't it wait 'till- Whatta?!" She bolted upright. Naka wasn't lying. It was a huge.  
  
"Satomi! Aisha!! New tunnel!! 'S open!"  
  
In a flash the rest of them shot up. Aisha's mastery of the language had all since been perfected since that dream she had. New memories of how it should sound surfaced in her fragile mind. She quickly grasped the new concepts and proper language flowed forth. The rest were a little bit slower to pick up her mastery but slowly they corrected their mistakes. Their memories surfaced the more they heard her.  
  
"Where does this lead to?"  
  
"Maybe more of us..."  
  
Nanaka strode forward a bit and peered down the tunnel. It seemed to curve up about 100 feet down. She turned to the others and smiled.  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
With a giggle she and the rest took off down the tunnel to what ever lay ahead. Aisha held back a bit. She had become wary since her dream. She was the only one amongst them who had any fear or inhibition. A "him" might be down there. Or even worse, that monster. She let the others run ahead and held back momentarily. After they passed the curve leading back up at the bottom Aisha stopped and listened. It wasn't until she heard their ooh-ing and aah-ing that she moved forward.   
  
At the top of the small slope the tunnel gave way to a massive room. This one was much, much larger than any of the previous ones. The top was a massive dome that encompassed everything. Unlike the other room the dome did not let the image of the sky through. It was solid white with the scattered light brightening the whole room. The largest thing dominating the floor was a massive pool. Aisha had never dreamed that something like that could have existed. The pool was surrounded by a cool, hard, gray substance her mind identified as "stone". A waterfall dominated the far wall spilling countless gallons of water into the pool feeding it. All around the ground where there was no "stone"; there was a soft, green substance. It was thin and short, but there were billions of these little things blanketing almost everything.  
  
"Grass..." Aisha said softly.  
  
Sprouting from the grass were several leafy plants she identified as "trees". These trees were all very broad leafed. Some were short and squat with many large leaves while others were tall, with massive hard "trunks" and only few large spiny leaves at the very top. The word that best described them was "tropical". With vines everywhere, and the odd bright, blooming flower, the soft, thick grass and the massive waterfall and pool Aisha's brain plugged a single word to sum it all up.  
  
"Jungle!"  
  
Satomi turned. "Jungle!! This is Jungle!"  
  
Naka smiled. "Jungle! Jungle! Jungle! Pretty!!"  
  
"Big..." Aisha said looking all over. The entire place had an area of about half a mile square. The dome was very high, almost two hundred feet up. The water fall at the far end seemed to only stretch half as high. The Pool was massive. The designers installed it due to the heated request of Kaiser. The women would no doubt bathe, or at least play, in the water and clean themselves off. The jungle setting would give them plenty of climbing and running room. The vines would be used for swinging and playing around.   
  
The planners figured that the waterfall would be a prime climbing target. They didn't want the women climbing it and falling to their deaths, so they made that cliffside sheer, offering no purchase for the would be mountain climbers. The lake as well had been toned down. It only got as deep as six feet. No drowning women in that pool. If there were ever any emergencies the pool would automatically drain a bit allowing the women to get their feet back on the ground and away to safety.   
  
But Krysta didn't know or care about any of those little details. She had her eyes locked solely on the large pool of water before her. It was so inviting and so big. Laughing hysterically she found herself dashing forward ahead of the rest making straight for it. Upon reaching the shore she jumped with all her might and flopped straight into the water. Everyone else stood back wide eyed at her shenanigans but smiled as she resurfaced and stood.  
  
She looked so different. Her hair was now straight and slick and plastered to her forehead and all down her body. All over her what little hair she had was plastered right onto the skin. The two small points on her breasts were at full attention, indicating that the water was very cold. She shivered a bit and ran her hands through her long hair and wringed some of the water out of it. Planting her hands on her hips she grinned over to her friends.  
  
" 'S Cold!! I all wet!!" she giggled. A moment later three more girls were flying through the air and landing in the massive pool with giant splashes. Giggling laughing and yelling at the top of their lungs they played in the cool water for what seemed like hours. It was water! A huge body of water! They'd never seen anything like it before, not even in their dreams. It was so big, so great!   
  
Satomi, however, was the first one to stop. She ceased splashing around and focused at the beach. A moment later Aisha swam up smiling.  
  
"Satomi-chan? What's wro..." She stopped and began to stare as well. A second later Krys and Naka stopped and also turned.   
  
  
They weren't alone. There were people on the beach.  
  
  
Four of them. One with fiery red hair, another with a deeper shade, another with loose blonde hair and still one more with dark and straight, jet black hair. The two groups stood there silently and watched one another. Who were these newcomers? What were they doing here? How long have they been there?  
  
Aisha stared suspiciously at them. They could be dangerous, she thought. There was only one way to find out.  
  
Striding purposefully forward through the water she approached the four. Nanaka and Krys saw her go and decided to follow. The air had become very tense and the playful mood had left all of them. Something might happen to Aisha if she wasn't careful. They might start hitting Aisha and she could get hurt. They might be bad people. She may need their help. Satomi stayed back. While these people seemed harmless at the moment, she could tell that they could be very dangerous. The two redheads looked very strong. The blonde looked harmless enough, but the black haired one really struck Satomi as deadly. She had a strange look in her cerulean eyes. It made her shudder to watch. The black-haired one seemed cold. Something deep inside her told her that she should keep away from that one, and that was exactly what she planned on doing.  
  
As Aisha, Naka, and Krys wadded to the newcomers, the largest red head, the one with the fiery hair, tensed up. Her friend, the other red head, put a hand on her shoulder. She leaned forward and whispered into her ear. The fiery one seemed to calm a bit, but still watched the trio approach on her guard. They might try to pull something.  
  
The one with the straight, black hair walked out in front of her comrades and approached the incoming women. The blonde one seemed to hold back, not too sure what to do. The two red heads crossed their arms and waited. It seemed they would let the new party make the first move.  
  
The one with the black hair stopped when she was ankle deep in the water. She watched Aisha intently. Images of the girl floated in and out of her mind. She could sense a lot of strong will in this person. She also caught whiff of something she'd never seen before. It seemed to cause this girl distress and heartache, yet seemed to build her character as well as strengthen her will. It was fear. The blue haired one was afraid of something. As the she came closer the black haired one crossed her arms and met her eyes.  
  
Aisha did the same as she came close and stopped not one foot from her. They locked gazes, each trying to stare the other one down. Aisha's bright green eyes and this new girl's queer blue ones. Finally, Aisha seemed to crack a bit. She broke the gaze and asked one word instead.  
  
"Friend?"  
  
The new girl seemed taken back a moment. This one could speak. She gazed back at the smaller woman intently. Where had these people come from?  
  
Aisha took her hand and placed it on the new girl's shoulder. The red head with the fire for hair seemed to jump and looked ready to pounce. Her friend held her back a bit, obviously waiting for her raven-haired friend to make her move. Aisha locked eyes with her again and asked once more.  
  
"Are you a friend?"  
  
The new woman stood still a moment. She regarded the new girl with interest. As more and more shadows of her mind passed through her own she began to realize that the girl was serious in her intentions for friendship. Finally smiling, the new woman raised her arm and placed it in Aisha's opposite shoulder.  
  
"Friend. It's big enough here for all of us."  
  
"Friend it is!" Aisha replied returning her smile. The red head seemed to visibly relax as she saw her friend place her hand on the stranger's shoulder. Her friend next to her seemed to do the same. Satomi smiled. She had a feeling that it would have been a very bad idea to be enemies with such women. Krysta and Nanaka smiled to each other and approached Aisha. The two red heads did the same and they began to introduce themselves to one another. Satomi looked past the group and over to the blonde standing a ways away from the group watching shyly. For a brief moment their eyes met, and Satomi smiled over to her. The small blonde blushed and smiled back a bit averting her eyes. Satomi could tell she was rather shy, just as she herself had been when she first met Aisha, and she giggled.   
  
Moments later they were all playing in the lake water just as if they had been friends all their lives. It was in that manner that the all women on Terra II finally came to meet one another, in the same place, at the same time.  
  
  
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The jungle turned out to be a magnificent new playground for them. Its sheer size gave them the room to run and jump, climb and explore, to let their bodies run free and enjoy the vastness of their wilderness. The two groups bonded very well and became very close. Aisha became truly happy for the first time in several weeks. The new people energized her. They filled her with a newfound spirit of happiness and joy. She found that each of the newcomers were very different people. The one with fiery red hair was called Aiko. Despite her aggressive attitude at the start she was in fact rather kind and docile. Granted she still had a bad habit of pulverizing things when ever she was in a bad mood, she was still very close to everyone of the women there.   
  
Auska was much like her companion minus the urge to destroy random objects when ever she was angry. She was just as powerfully built and just as kind as her partner. Often Aisha would happen upon them when they were fighting. At least that was what she called it when she first saw it. When she looked closer she saw that they were playing. It was like they were mock fighting. "Sparring" came to mind. She figured that was just their way of venting steam and left it at that. Aiko and Asuka sparred every now and again to stretch out or, like Aisha had assumed, vent steam.  
  
Leska, despite her pale skin, jet black hair and piercing eyes, was the most gentle out of all of them. She was always kind and willing to help the others. Often she shared food when someone was still hungry, or helped them when they fell from a tree and scraped themselves. She always seemed to know when something was wrong. She had the uncanny ability to sense it when something was amiss. Often whenever one of the others were in danger of hurting themselves she would be there getting them out of the situation. When Krys had climbed a tree and found herself stuck among the palms, Leska was the first person there. When Satomi had fallen down a slope and scraped herself badly, Leska was there first, treating her scratches and comforting her.  
  
Aisha began to respect Leska immensely. She was the only one among them who really cared for the others around her more than herself. She never hurt anyone, never fought, never argued, was never rough with anyone, she was always honest, kind gentle. Her flat eyes and hard exterior hid the kind-hearted woman on the inside.  
  
The last newcomer in Aisha's eyes was Katsumi. She was the shyest one out of all of them. She was always the one in back. She was the one who was always the last in. She rarely spoke, never fought, never argued and was always cheerful. Aisha liked her as well. She wasn't nearly as bold as any of the others, but she was always kind. She liked the way she never argued. She never said anything that would make any of the others mad. She was always generous with what she had and she always tried to do her best to please those around her. Aisha saw her as a smaller, more toned down version of Leska.  
  
  
The eight of them got along well. Despite their large group they rarely fought. Aisha had said the wrong thing a few times and spent the following few minutes avoiding the deadly fists of Aiko. The rest would usually sit back and laugh at their small sparring match. Most of the time Aisha was able to avoid getting pummeled, but every once and a while Aiko got a good shot through and Aisha would find her self feeling it for a few days afterward.  
  
They spent most of their days running about their playground, swimming in their lake or relaxing in the other rooms. Aisha stayed in high spirits for the rest of their time there. The newcomers were new and exciting and she enjoyed getting to know all of them more deeply. For the most part they all got along well in their remaining days. There was plenty of food, plenty of spare time and plenty of good feeling all around. In this time they all perfected their language. Aisha and Leska were the only ones who really remembered how things were supposed to sound. With the both of them using it, the other women quickly caught on.  
  
But this period marked the end of their happy and carefree days. Ghenna really only wanted to have the girls meet and interact a bit before he began to process them. They were to be the greatest creatures to walk on Terra II. They were to be goddesses under him. In order for them to fill the role he gave them they would need to be trained. They would have to excel in their respective areas and top out better than any of the Gray Eyes in their league.  
  
He was anxious to get them on with their training. He decided to only give the women two months more of rest before their training was to begin. At the time each of them were only one year old. Much to Kaiser's dismay he found he was to head their training. "Use the best to train the best" was the foundation in Ghenna's decision. The Arch-Bishop was more than annoyed at his leader's choice. The women still disgusted him. He hated the idea of interacting with such pathetic creatures. They were docile. They were lazy. Since they started bathing their smell had all but gone away, but they were still filthy in his eyes.   
  
But it was still his duty to serve his master. Ghenna was his leader and father and he would do nothing to disappoint him. All of the Gray Eyes regarded Ghenna as their father. They looked up to him and would follow his orders unquestioningly. Personal feelings and agendas were always second. Kaiser was ordered and he would obey.  
  
About one week before their vacation ended, Aisha met with Leska in private. There was something she wanted to talk about. Pulling her deep into their jungle and making sure no one else was around Aisha turned and addressed her new friend.  
  
"Leska-chan, Can I ask you something?"  
  
Leska narrowed her flat eyes and arched her eyebrows. "Of course Aisha. What is it?"  
  
Aisha turned and looked out into the jungle making sure before she continued. "Leska..." She said taking a deep breath. "Leska... before I met you and Aiko, Asuka and Katsumi, I had a dream one night. It... it was a very frightening dream. I dreamt that I was running through our corridors being chased by a huge, monstrous creature. It was angry with me and wanted to cause me harm. It wanted to hurt me badly. I didn't know why, but it just did."  
  
Leska stood by silently and listened intently to her friend. What she was describing to her were the images and shadows that most prominently floated into Leska's mind when ever she focused herself upon Aisha. She was finally learning what they meant.  
  
"As I ran," Aisha continued. "I remembered finding myself in the Tunnels. When I looked back I saw that the creature was like two gigantic eyes. They focused in on me and seemed to be seething with hatred and spite. They scared me badly. I think it was the first time ever that I'd actually been terrified like that.  
  
"I suddenly hit something and fell down coming to a complete stop. I looked up and saw that I ran into someone."  
  
Aisha paused. Leska took a seat in the soft grass and waited, staring intently up at Aisha. She'd seen what Aisha had from the shadows in her mind. She waited to see what Aisha made of it.  
  
"It wasn't one of us. I could tell right away. It was taller than any of us. It also looked stronger... much stronger... It was built differently was well. It seemed more blocky and solid than any of us. I remember... I remember calling it 'him'. 'Him' was what best came to mind."  
  
Leska nodded, her eyes now narrow, pensive slits.  
  
"I remember him kicking me next. 'Him' kicked me hard, right in my belly on the ground. 'Him' knocked the wind out of me. 'Him' kicked me again and again, I was on the ground and, and 'him'-"  
  
"He." Leska said interrupting her.  
  
Aisha stopped and looked up. "What?"  
  
"He" Leska repeated. "The correct nominative clause is 'he'." [author's note: I didn't word it like that, my editor did. Don't ask me what it means...]  
  
Aisha stared at her a moment as the correct memory surfaced. She was right.  
  
"He... That's right! It goes by he..." Suddenly she came straight to attention and stared in shock at her friend on the ground.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about then!"  
  
Leska nodded slowly. "Yes, Aisha. I've seen him as well."  
  
Aisha sat down by her side and took her shoulders into her hands. "You know what he is then! You know who he is!"   
  
Leska cocked an eyebrow and averted her gaze a moment. "...Yeees and no, Aisha. I know that he is male. And that we are female. I know that there are a great many 'he's' outside where we live. I know that when we see one..."  
  
She trailed off. Some where a technician who was in charge of monitoring and recording the actions of all the women choked on his coffee and donuts and fell over in his chair. After he recovered he dialed the hotline straight to Ghenna's inner office.  
  
Aisha cocked her head a bit. "And?"  
  
Leska shook hers and frowned. "I'm sorry Aisha, that's all I know. They're just as much a mystery to me as they are to you."  
  
"How do you know about them?"  
  
Leska smiled knowingly. "Dreams..." She said softly.  
  
  
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When Ghenna received word that one of the women knew about the presence of men he went berserk. His eyes glittered like two jewels caught in moonlight. They shouldn't have known about anything at all outside the walls of their complex. Something or someone had to have leaked the information in to them. But when he found out who knew about it his attitude took a 180°. It had been his precious psychic. She had been the one. It was now painfully obvious that she had certain abilities. He decided to dash their remaining together time and proceed with their plans ahead of schedule. In one week the others would understand the true purpose of their lives. Ghenna couldn't wait.  
  
  
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After their conversation, Aisha felt better about the whole ordeal. She wasn't alone. Leska had also seen men in her dreams. Aisha slept better the remaining week, still on the watch for the rogue man, having much, much more peaceful nights. She was confident that should she ever see him again, she would be able to defeat him and put the demon in her mind to rest. Leska had made all the difference for her.  
  
  
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They were all gathered by the pond enjoying the meals that seemed to magically appear every morning in their original rooms, bathing by the pools side and swimming deep. Katsumi was seated comfortably by the waterside watching as Asuka grabbed Krysta causing both of them to tumble backwards with a huge splash. Aiko had been standing off cooling in the water when the miniature tsunami enveloped her. With a gurgled scream she jumped up and glared death upon the two rough-housers. Aisha and Satomi broke out giggling when they saw Aiko steaming along the pond side aiming to pummel the two miscreants. She could be such a hothead at times, they both thought. Nanaka and Leska sat smiling as well on the beach. Asuka was starting to become more and more playful. This was the third time in as many days that she had tackled someone in the water. With a cheerful 'Wheeee!' she took off away from Aiko leaving Krys behind. Asuka knew, after all, she didn't have to out run Aiko, all she had to do was out run Krysta, leaving her to the bear, so to speak.  
  
Aisha stopped smiling when Krys, who had been busy beating away Aiko and not playing attention to where she was going, slammed straight into her. With a wild yell they both tumbled into the water. Aiko saw them go down and, smiling, leaped high into the air. She came down with a splash and began to 'mock' pummel who ever was beneath her. When she pulled the unfortunate up she found her hands to be around Aisha's neck rather than Krys'.   
  
With a frightened yelp she took off heading the other way. Aisha began to breathe fire and chased after her with her fist high in the air. By now Leska and Nanaka were rolling on the floor laughing at their antics. Satomi and Katsumi were also giggling uncontrollably. Asuka was crying. Her sides hurt from all her laughter. She'd all but died on the beach watching all the chaos she had wreaked. She was fast becoming the goddess of mischief.   
  
As the laughter slowly began to quiet down each of the girls in turn became totally silent. Leska and Nanaka, then Katsumi and Satomi, followed by Aisha letting Aiko out of her headlock of death and finally ending on Asuka quieting down after realizing she was laughing all alone. She looked up at her friends curiously. Their attention was turned to something else. Slowly Asuka turned to see what it was they were staring at. Her eyes went wide open with shock once she saw it.  
  
It was huge. Taller than any of the rest of them. It stood tall and strong, seemingly dwarfing any of the women there. It breathed slowly and deliberately, its massive, barrel like chest slowly rising and falling. It seemed to be wearing something over its body, like an extra pair of skin. Its feet looked hard and glossy black. The extra skin was tight and shiny around there. As she looked up it came to much looser skin that seemed to fold away from the body. Asuka could see stripes running up this length of skin covering its' legs.   
  
Its large, flat chest was, for the most part, bare. Its neck was thick and strong, leading to a stern and hard face. Its eyes were gray and hair was brown. Hair trailed down to the small of its back, much like all of theirs. From it's powerful hands to its gigantic biceps to its imposing frame, the women gazed silently at the one creature that was about to change the rest of their lives very dramatically. It was a man, and it was there, gazing upon them.   
  
  
  
Kaiser had come.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ok, ok. I'm going to figure that there are a few people out there who are wondering just who the names given to each of the marionettes are given to. Aisha is Lime (and a very different one at that.), Satomi is Cherry, Aiko is Bloodberry, Asuka is Tiger, Nanaka is Panta and Krysta is Luchs. Betcha they seem really out of character, huh? I found that in SMJ their personalities were a result of the programming in their maiden circuits. These women were just born. I decided that their lives will shape their personalities later on. Right now they are all innocent and pure, just like little babies. Life will rip them apart. But that's all in the future. I'll work on part 3 depending on the feedback I get for the first two parts. I'll see what you peoples think. Feel free to send me feedback at The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com. You know the rules. On one last note, I know this ending song is about cocaine. Just play along with the whole puppets/marionette similarity thing, ok?  
  
^^ Tataa~.  
  
  
  
End of passion play, crumbling away.  
....I'm your source of self-destruction...  
Veins that pump with fear, sucking darkest clear.  
...Leading on your deaths construction...  
  
Taste me you will see  
more is all you need  
Dedicated to  
how I'm killing you...  
  
Come crawling faster...  
Obey your Master!  
Your life burns faster...  
Obey your Master!  
Master!  
  
Master of Puppets, I'm pulling your strings!   
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams!  
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing,  
Just call my name, I'll hear you scream!   
Master!  
Master!  
Just call my name, I'll hear you scream!  
Master!  
Master!  
  
Needlework the way, never you betray.  
...life of death becoming clearer...  
Pain monopoly, ritual misery.  
...chop your breakfast on a mirror...  
  
Taste me you will see  
more is all you need!  
Dedicated to  
how I'm fucking you!  
  
...Come crawling faster...  
Obey your Master!  
...Your life burns faster...  
Obey your Master!  
Master!  
  
Master of Puppets, I'm pulling your strings   
twisting your mind and smashing your dreams!  
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing...  
Just call my name, I'll hear you scream.  
Master!  
Master!  
Just call my name, I'll hear you scream.  
Master!  
Master!  
  
Master, Master... Where's the dreams that I've been after?  
Master, Master... You promised only lies!  
Laughter, Laughter.. All I hear and see is laughter...   
Laughter, Laughter... laughing at my cries!  
  
Hell is worth all that, natural habitat!  
Just a rhyme without a reason...  
Never-ending maze, drift on numbered days!  
Now your life is out of season...  
I will occupy...  
I will help you die!   
I will run through you...  
Now I rule you, too!  
  
...Come crawling faster...  
Obey your Master!  
...Your life burns faster...  
Obey your Master!  
Master!  
  
Master of Puppets pulling your strings...  
twisting your mind and smashing your dreams!   
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing...  
Just call my name, I'll hear you scream!  
Master!  
Master!  
Just call my name, I'll hear you scream!  
Master!  
Master!  
  
...Ha Ha Ha Ha...  
  
~Master of Puppets  
Metallica  
S&M Version 


	3. Lime Rose

On a note totally unrelated to Saber Marionette J, I'd just like to mention that I saw one of the best Animes I've ever seen in my life. It was called Onegai Teacher. 13 episodes of pure eye candy and emotion twisting story line. It had me on the edge of my seat through out the whole thing, especially the ending (which, by the way, was absolutely perfect.). As an added bonus the main heroine is one dead sexy sensei. Oo;; The obvious aside, this series is highly recommended. If you haven't seen is yet, do so. If you loved SMJ, you're going to love this.   
  
Back to the subject at hand, SMJ belongs to whomever owns them ( duh ), not me. I only write about them. Anything not from SMJ belongs to me. Money belongs to the creators of SMJ, there for not me. While I'm not too worried about a lawsuit being filed because I chose to write a piece of fan fiction using their characters, I've still gotta cover my bases. Keep in mind, I am broke. Very broke. I'm like Jed Clampet before he struck oil (Beverly Hillbillies.) I hunt squirrels in my back yard with a twin barrel and a case of buckshot. My hat on my head predates my grandfather. My entire family lives with me out in the wilderness in a shack constructed entirely of animal hides and loose planks. So there.... Bah...  
  
I'd suggest you read the first two parts before you read this one, but, then again, if you enjoy being lost go right ahead and start here. Helpful feedback is awesome. Flames and BS are not. I don't know why but some people spend their entire time going through fanfiction.net and flaming everything they don't agree on. Have they nothing better to do? For their sake and he sake of everyone who posts fan fiction in this archive, I, The Dark Phoenix, have a few places on the web they can go to pass the time in a much more pleasant manner. www.bored.com, www.emotioneric.com, www.coolquotescollection.com, and www.tshirthell.com (not for everyone, btw.).  
  
THERE! RUN FREE MY LITTLE FLAMERS!! GO, INTO THE WORLD AND BE HAPPY!! HAPPINESS IS NEXT TO... Next to... err... CLEANLINESS!! GO WASH, GO WEB SURFING, BE HAPPY!!  
  
[This flame retardation service was provided to you by The Dark Phoenix. You can contact him at The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com. This has been a public service announcement. Many flames have been harmed in the making of this gibberish. All flames held in custody have met their maker in a painless, efficient manner. Thank you and have a pleasant day.]  
  
On one last note, as this plot has developed there's been some confusion as to the identities of the maidens. Take notes now if ya want here's who's who. Aisha is Lime, Satomi is Cherry, Aiko is Bloodberry, Asuka is Tiger, Krysta is Luchs and Nanaka is Panta. Leska and Katsumi are two characters developed especially for this Fic [Translation: He made them up. Run, there's a new set of avatars on the loose!].   
  
Also the one is ALMOST rated R. It covers rather gritty tones, but it's not too explicit. Up here in the states, if you're 13 you'll be fine- that's why it's still PG-13. I am still warning you though. People with sensitive natures may want to think about going forward.  
  
Shout out to Vik-man (Editor) and Chii-chan (provider of anime). Thanks for all the support peeps!  
  
  
[NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!  
  
[Ok I lied, this is the last note. MY bud Luvweaver requested that I change something in this version, SO this would be v1.2 of this fic. Enjoy Luvweaver!]  
  
STORY TIME!!!! [children cheer]  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
With a painful grunt Aiko fell to the floor. All the strength her body seemed to have was drained. One blow? Was that all that it took? One blow to her?  
  
Kaiser frowned. She too had been another lemon. He was standing in a wide glass room. The ceiling and floor were brightly lit, a stark white color. There was a small door in one of the corners that led out into the surrounding observation area. There were scientists standing all along the outside of the glass scribbling furiously on their little writing tablets taking notes. They were observing how each of the women performed in combat- what systems seemed to be best suited for each one of them and so on.  
  
Along one of the edges the seven women sat looking in. All of them except Aisha were sitting on the floor, either bruised or bleeding. They had been forced to fight Kaiser to test their inherent skills. None of them lasted anymore than one or two blows. Kaiser was some terrible machine. He seemed to be able to predict what they were going to do, move faster than they did, and hit harder and caused more pain than anything else they've ever known before. They were told that if any of them were to hit him in any way shape or form the whole group would be rewarded by a few weeks off. Ever since Kaiser first appeared, they hadn't one day of rest or relaxation.  
  
They'd been taken from their peaceful life and forced into hell. Clothed in itchy rags, forced to march, and run, and jump, and fight every waking moment of their days. Almost three months had passed. This test was an accumulation of all their work. So far all of them had failed except Aisha. She'd yet to perform.  
  
Kaiser signaled for the extraction team to come and take Aiko away. He refused to touch any of the women, except to punish them. So far none of them had lasted anymore than fifteen seconds. One hit was all it took. One solid belt to the stomach, or one smooth kick to the gut and they fell to the ground whimpering like the little babes in their birthing chambers calling out in hunger.  
  
As Aiko was being dragged away Kaiser turned to the glass from which the women were recovering behind. There was only one left. 'Aisha' they called her. She was the one who had tried to attack him the first day he showed himself. After he was revealed to them, she charged at him screaming at the top of her lungs and tried to strike him. He'd put her down easily. Kaiser smiled slightly to himself. She was looking at him, glaring at him. The little bitch. She hadn't learned her lesson. He'd have to put her down once more.   
  
  
Aisha glared back. 'Fight him...' 'Conquer him...' If she hoped to survive she would have to conquer him. She'd failed once. Something in her heart told her that she would not get a third chance. That angry-eyed monster was watching her. It was looking down at her. She needed to impress it, or otherwise face annihilation. All of their lives rested on her performance. Aisha knew.   
  
She couldn't let herself fall like before. The very first time he'd hit her, she'd fallen and simply didn't get back up. Unlike in her dream the pain stayed. It entered her body and took up residence, incapacitating her. She couldn't let that happen again. Not this time. Not this time.   
  
The words given to her in her dream rose from their depths and floated through her mind.  
  
'If you don't defeat me, then you will have no future. You will be like a footnote in the pages of history. Combat will define you.'  
  
'Defeat me and you will earn the monster's pleasure for many more days than otherwise given by fate. Loose to me, let me crush you, let me break you... and you and all you know will perish'  
  
'Worry about bettering yourself. Worry about the safety of your family. Worry about those you will grow to love. Worry about standing when you fall. Learn Aisha. Learn and you will live.'  
  
"Learn..." She whispered softly to herself heading for the glass door. "Learn..."  
  
Kaiser watched her enter. His eyes narrowed and he became serious.  
  
'Those eyes...'  
  
He watched her face change as she walked to the door. They became... bold. Almost determined. She was thinking, Kaiser could tell. Something was running through her head. Her eyes revealed it. ...But what?  
  
Aisha walked in and the door closed silently behind her. She was gazing at the floor seemingly lost in thought.   
  
'Learn.'  
  
'Learn.'  
  
'Learn...'  
  
Kaiser raised his fists. It didn't matter. He'd still have to put her down. It wouldn't be a problem. She was weak. One can be as bold or as determined as they wanted and it wouldn't change a thing if they were weak. Narrowing his eyes he readied himself.  
  
Aisha looked up suddenly meeting his gaze. Kaiser's eye widened and his guard dropped for a moment. What... She'd changed. Her eyes had lighted up. He could see something burning in them. Kaiser had only seen eyes like those in one other place before: Out in combat, on the battlefield. They were eyes of rage and fury, of determination and spirit, eyes of a creature fighting to survive... and they were aimed at him.  
  
Slowly Aisha mouthed something. Kaiser watched her lips move. Leska, who had been sitting against the wall out side the glass nursing her injured side, shot her gaze upwards into the ring.  
  
"What..."  
  
Kaiser stepped back and raised his fists once more.  
  
"We'll see child, we'll see," he said below his breath.  
  
Satomi turned to her sister. She seemed to be reading Aisha's lips.   
  
"Leska-chan, What's Aisha saying? Kaiser looks spooked."  
  
Leska shook her head. She could feel Aisha's energy radiating outwards from her mind. She wanted something.   
  
"She's saying...She's saying..."  
  
Satomi knelt by her. "Saying what?"  
  
Leska turned.   
  
"I want to live..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Saber Marionette J  
Dark's AU - Human  
Episode Three: Lime Rose  
"Teaching me to love"   
  
  
  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...  
  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in...  
  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in...  
  
Tied to a wheel, fingers got to feel,  
Bleeding through it all, O.k. to smile...  
I spin on a whim, I slide to the right  
I felt you like electric light.  
For our love!  
For our fear!  
For our rise against the years and years!  
  
Got a machine head...  
...it's better than the rest...  
Green to red...   
...machine head...  
  
Got a machine head...  
...it's better than the rest...  
Green to red...  
  
And I walk from my machine,  
Oh, I walk from my machine girl...  
  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in...  
  
Deaf, dumb and thirty!  
Starting to deserve this!   
Leaning on my conscience wall...  
Blood is like wine,  
unconscious all the time.  
If I had it all again  
I'd change it all!  
  
Got a machine head...  
It's better than the rest...  
Green to red...   
Machine head...  
  
Got a machine head!  
It's better than the rest!  
Green to red!   
Yeah...  
  
I walk from my machine,  
I walk from my machine...  
  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in, breathe out,  
Breathe in!! Breathe in!! BREATHE IN!!  
  
Got a machine head!!  
It's better than the rest!  
Green to red!  
Machine head!   
  
Got a machine head!  
It's better than the rest!  
Green to red!  
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!!  
  
Better than the rest!!  
Better than the rest!!  
Machine head~  
  
I walk from my machine.  
I walk from my machine...  
  
  
Bush  
Sixteen Stone  
'Machine Head'  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kaiser exhaled and dropped to one knee. He smiled to himself and shook his head. All that build up and for nothing! She'd actually gotten him a little worried. He looked over to her crumpled form and breathed easier. One punch was all it took. Only one.  
  
He rose and motioned to the small window above the arena. Ghenna was seated above behind the dark glass. He was seething with anger. A servant standing near by could see his eyes glittering. He was in a very dangerous mood. All eight of his women failed him. All their training seemed to amount to nothing. They couldn't even touch Kaiser. Not even Leska, his precious psychic.   
  
Even worse, they weren't cycling. Their bodies should have begun cycling by now, they should be ready to bear children. But they weren't. They were still infertile. He'd put his hopes on these women and they were failing him. He didn't want to go back to the drawing board. He didn't want to start all over. He wanted these to go on and bear him his children. But Ghenna was tired of waiting.   
  
He looked down at the crumpled form of Aisha and spat in disgust. They were weak children, he was loosing his patience. They had better grow and mature soon. He was sick of watching them wasting time. He was-  
  
Ghenna stopped when he noticed Aisha moving.  
  
  
Kaiser turned when he heard a noise behind him. He turned and saw Aisha slowly climbing to her feet. She was getting back up. Kaiser saw her eyes, they were still glittering with determination.   
  
'What the...'  
  
He hadn't held back. He'd hit her with everything in him. She should be down and out.   
  
But she wasn't. Climbing steadily to her feet he once again fixated her gaze upon him.  
  
"I want my chance..." She said slowly. "I want to live."  
  
Kaiser rose to his full height and crossed his arms. "Is that so?"  
  
With a yell Aisha charged him and swung with all her might. Kaiser easily side stepped her and slammed his fist into her back as she rushed past. With a yelp of pain she fell back to the floor. She moaned and cried out again curling her body.   
  
Kaiser shook his head. That first blow should have leveled her and kept her there. This one, he was sure, would.  
  
  
To his utter shock Aisha stirred. She slowly planted her palms on the ground and with a heavy groan propped her self up. Kaiser watched her crawl up onto her hands and knees.   
  
  
'What the hell?' the first time could have been a fluke, but not twice. He circled slowly as she rose back onto her feet. She was supposed to be weak. He'd seen her drill with the others. He'd seen her scores on the races, and in lifting, and in prediction and she did moderate to poor on all of them.  
  
She certainly didn't look very strong. Kaiser stood still as she fixated her eyes on him again. Once more she rose to her feet. That fire was burning in them, right there in her eyes. It was still shining.   
  
'What is that?' Kaiser asked himself. 'What is that in those eyes...'  
  
Screaming once more Aisha charged. She barreled straight for him. He waited until she was about a foot away before throwing his fist upwards in an arc. It caught her right in the chin lifting her clear from the ground. All her forward momentum died as her entire body was thrown back by the large fist. With a heavy thud she landed almost six feet away.  
  
  
Kaiser continued to watch her intently. But this wasn't about physical strength, was it? Her eyes told him it was something else. He waited there for her, wondering if she would get back up, but she didn't move. A full minute passed before he turned away.   
  
"Stupid child" he muttered. She'd taken three of his strongest hits. Neither man, nor any Gray Eye would have been able to take that from him. She'd been determined. Some deep, powerful determination. None of her friends had that. None of her friends lasted this long.  
  
Taking a deep breath he headed for the door. He paused when the guard watching the lock pointed through the glass past Kaiser.  
  
"What?" He turned.   
  
Aisha was on her feet.   
  
Her lip had been split open and was bleeding freely onto the clean white floor. Her clothes had become slightly ripped and her lower jaw seemed to be bruising. The long hair that had fallen so gracefully before now fell over her eyes and partially hid them from Kaiser. What he could see was glittering angrily back at him.   
  
Three... Three blows and she still got back up. Kaiser was amazed. She shouldn't be standing. She should be done and over with. She should have fallen after his first. But she got back up. He'd hit her again, and once more she'd risen back up. He'd hit her a third time, and she was still standing... She wouldn't lay down and stay there.  
  
Kaiser frowned and readied himself once more. With a grunt Aisha rushed forward again. Kaiser watched her run and waited. Once more when she was almost on him he sidestepped her. But this time Aisha sidestepped with him. With a scream she raised her fist and swung.   
  
Kaiser still easily caught it and twisted her arm around. Aisha screamed in pain as she felt her arm start to buckle. With a grunt Kaiser threw Aisha clear across the room, slamming her into the far wall as hard as he could. With a painful 'umph' she fell to the floor.  
  
Up in his room Ghenna clapped his hands with joy at what he'd seen. Kaiser stood there slightly dumbfounded. She'd sidestepped with him. What...  
  
  
She was learning...  
  
  
Learning... Kaiser shook his head in amazement. The clever girl anticipated him moving and followed in suit. Kaiser started to smile. She'd almost surprised him. His combat sensor covered himself and allowed him to catch her before she could strike. But still... she was learning.  
  
He paced back and forth across the room watching her, like a cat eyeing it's prey, waiting for her to move. Would she get up?  
  
  
Digging her palms into the floor, Aisha did so. Her body was on fire. Her right arm felt as if it had been twisted clear off her. Her lip was bleeding as freely as before. She hurt to move. Yet... yet she still she got back up.   
  
'I want...' she repeated in her mind. 'I want to live... I want to live... I want to go on...forever... I want to... I want to...'  
  
Starting to cry she climbed back onto her feet. Kaiser watched her, waiting for her. She rose back up. Four blows and still she stood. He cocked his head at her a moment. He could see tears rolling off her cheek. She was crying. Kaiser's shoulders seemed to pick up slightly. She was weeping. He could see her body quivering in pain. Her tears...  
  
  
Once more she ran to him, and once more he watched and waited. She swung when she got close and found herself hitting air. Kaiser moved his body around her. He wrapped one leg around hers locking them together. In one smooth motion he twisted himself around, knocking Aisha's foot out from under her body and swinging his other leg up and around slamming it into her face. Wordlessly she fell back to the ground. Kaiser took a step back and watched her once more.   
  
Her whole body hurt, he could tell. Just about every bone, every ligament, every joint must have been on fire. ...And yet she still got back up. Once more Kaiser watched her stir. She was pulling her body up from the floor yet again. Her tears were flowing more freely than before. Her nose had been busted. It was bleeding badly down across her sobbing lips and down her chin until it dripped onto the floor. Kaiser stepped back and swallowed.  
  
This woman...  
  
Kaiser knew what the tears meant. She was in pain. She was in fiery pain and still she got back up. It was something she had to do. He began to understand. He had come to realize it. Kaiser narrowed his eyes. Her tears...  
  
  
He'd cried very few times in his life. The first was when he was very young. When he'd been beaten down by the reigning Arch-Bishop of that time. The tall man beat the boy with a single powerful blow. When he hit the ground he broke out into tears not only from the pain, but also from the shame. The shame of falling down in front of his peers like that. The Arch-Bishop had mocked and scorned him for those tears. He beat the child because he could not rise again. Everything had become too heavy for him. The weight of his life held him down. He only lay there and cried and taking blow after blow.  
  
The only other time was when, on the battlefield, he'd lost his closest friend to a stray mortar. His ally lingered about an hour in Kaiser's hands before finally succumbing to his wounds.  
  
  
Aisha screamed once again and charged. Kaiser caught her arm as she came close and with a grunt twisted and snapped it. He felt the bone give way and shatter. Aisha let loose a shrill scream that was cut short when Kaiser slammed his other fist into her gut knocking the wind from her. With a powerful roundhouse he kicked her away. She fell back to the floor sobbing loudly.  
  
This child was crying because she was fighting a fight that she could not bear to loose. Kaiser knew what she was feeling. He began to identify. She couldn't loose. She had an urge to succeed at all costs. And winning meant getting back up. Getting back up meant more pain.  
  
Aisha cried out as she pulled her broken frame up from the floor. Kaiser smiled and shook his head slowly. They'd never tested her will, her resolve. He saw her rise once more and his opinion began to take a change. This woman wanted so badly to defeat him that she was willing to destroy herself to do so. She had strength he'd never seen in any other creature. It wasn't physical. It couldn't be gauged in how fast she ran, or how well she predicted things. It was in her heart. She had more determination in her body at that moment than most men ever had in their entire lives.  
  
Aisha charged yet again and swung at him with her good arm. Kaiser caught it and was about to pull her forward to knee her when she raised her broken arm and swung. He barely had enough time to duck out of the way of her swing as she cried out in pain. With a grunt Kaiser swung hard with his free arm and slammed Aisha across her face. She fell once more.  
  
He'd never expected her to use her broken limb. She truly wanted to win. Kaiser took a step back and smiled. She just might do it... Slowly Aisha climbed back up.  
  
"Come on child..." he said under his breath. "One punch. One hit. Lets see you win child."  
  
  
Satomi covered her eyes as Aisha rose again.   
  
[Slap][Pow] [BAM]  
  
And once more Aisha fell.   
  
What was she doing?! Why was she killing herself? Why couldn't she just lay there? Why was she doing this?!  
  
"Leska!"  
  
Leska seemed to know what she was going to say and put her hand on Satomi's shoulder.  
  
"Wait... Let her do this, Satomi. She knows what she's doing... just watch her."  
  
"But Leska! He's killing her!"  
  
She shook her head. "He won't kill her. Look at him." Leska smiled. "Aisha's beginning to change him. Every time she gets up..."   
  
  
Aiko swore. "Aisha..."  
  
Asuka sat beside her and held her sister. "I never knew such a person lived in that body."  
  
Aiko turned. "What?"  
  
"Look." Asuka pointed. "She's got more will than any of us. More strength. She doesn't want to loose. If anyone can get that one blow off of Kaiser, it's her. She'll beat him. Watch."  
  
[Whump][Pow][Slap][BAM]  
  
  
Kaiser was becoming excited. Instead of getting weaker and slowing down, Aisha was speeding up and becoming more ferocious in her attacks. She used her busted arm as much as her good one. Kaiser watched as she started to block and parry his blows. He began to chain up attacks in order to break through her hardening defense. He was fighting! It wasn't just a one or two blow deal like before. He was actually fighting! She was learning how Kaiser moved, and in turn, learned how to parry and block his attack. She was even learning his body signs. She could watch him move and then predict how he was going to strike at her from what she saw. Aisha was most certainly learning. She was learning faster than anyone else he'd ever seen.  
  
She charged him yet once more and again they battled. She punched and lashed out repeatedly while Kaiser blocked and swatted her blows away. Taking a step back, he lunged and swung at her head. Aisha leaned back and watched the fist whiz past her face. He followed through with a wide, swinging kick. Aisha ducked out of the way once more countering it with a jab. Kaiser grabbed her hand and pulled hard. It was her bad arm and she screamed shrilly out in pain. With a solid kick he dealt her a blow to the stomach and threw her away.  
  
"Come on child." he muttered softly. "Come on child. One blow."  
  
Aisha wept loudly as she got up once again. Kaiser smiled. He began to cheer for her. He was impressed. This woman, this filthy, dirty, disgusting creature had more will and determination than any other person he'd ever fought. He saw something in her.   
  
'This is what Ghenna sees in them.' he thought to himself. 'I understand now. I understand...' She had potential. She could be great... Maybe even the best. Just maybe...  
  
  
This time Kaiser rushed forward. Aisha hadn't been at all prepared and was unable to stop the hefty punch that flattened her once again. Kaiser walked around her waiting once more.  
  
"Come on child, come on child, come one child..."  
  
  
Leska sat holding Satomi's hand. Aisha's blood was all over the glass walls making it hard to watch what was going on inside. Nevertheless all of the women's thoughts were repeating the same phrase.  
  
"Come on Aisha, come on Aisha, come on Aisha..."  
  
  
Ghenna watched her rise from the floor to her hands and knees and smiled. His eyes were flat and cool as he began repeating the same phrase over and over in his thoughts.  
  
"Come on woman... come on woman... come on..."  
  
  
  
Kaiser moved slowly around her waiting. She was on her hands and knees and simply holding herself there. What was she doing? Her body seemed tense. Her breathing was still heavy. Her arm was all but broken into uselessness. She was bleeding from her mouth and nose and numerous other cuts and scrapes. Her entire body was turning black and blue. Every inch of her frame was inflamed and in pain.   
  
"I want to live. I want to live. I want to live forever..." she sobbed and shook her head. "I want to live..."  
  
  
Kaiser walked over to one of the glass walls and leaned against it.  
  
"Get up child." He said softly. Aisha's eyes shot open.  
  
"Get up. You can't win on the ground."  
  
Slowly, ever so slowly, Aisha pushed herself up one last time. Coming to her full height she turned and stared at Kaiser.  
  
"You want to win, don't you?" He said turning his gaze away from hers. "You know that all it will take is one hit. One little blow... You're crying, and your tears are telling me everything. You can't bear loosing to me. You can bear to face another loss..."  
  
Rising to his full majestic height and brining his arms into a fighter's stance, he smiled to her. "Come on Aisha. One hit."  
  
  
She gazed at him behind the long hair that fell over her eyes.  
  
'One hit...'  
  
Kaiser's gray eyes seemed to light up. "One hit."  
  
  
Slowly Aisha raised her arms and planted her feet. The world was starting to spin. The fiery pain that had enveloped her body numbed her mind to the fatigue that her body was feeling. She was right on the verge of collapsing.  
  
  
"One hit..." she whispered.  
  
Satomi held her breath.  
  
"Onee-sama..."  
  
  
Kaiser planted his feet and watched Aisha start to dash toward him. With a yell she swung her arm yet again. Kaiser batted it away and took a swing himself. The woman dodged the blow and countered it with a powerful swing of her own. Kaiser backed away avoiding it and closed in on her.  
  
  
Everyone present watched as the two combatants fought their way across the room. Blow after blow was countered and returned, neither side punching through the other's defense. Aisha had indeed learned. She knew how Kaiser moved and retaliated. She knew how he attacked and defended. Kaiser was immensely impressed. She knew the right block for his blows, the right return for his misses and the proper ducks for his swings. She returned his attacks with ones of her own and ones she'd learned when Kaiser used them on her. For Aisha, all it took was once for her to pick it up.   
  
  
They fought long and they fought hard until finally one side broke through. Aisha saw her chance punched forward as hard as she could. Kaiser saw it coming and blocked, following it with a powerful strike. His fist flew forward straight at Aisha's head. She had no time to react. Instead, her body acted out of instinct rather than conscious skill. She tilted her head to the side at just the right time allowing the arm to sail right past her. Bringing her leg up, she wrapped it around Kaiser's. He was caught completely by surprise and it registered too late what she was doing. Throwing her body weight, Aisha twisted her leg around unlocking Kaiser's and tripping him up. She pulled her other foot up and around as she fell and kicked out savagely. Kaiser couldn't stop the booted foot from slamming itself right into his face. With a startled yell, both he and Aisha collapsed onto the floor.  
  
  
She didn't get back up this time.   
  
  
  
She didn't need to...  
  
  
She had finally won.  
  
  
Above in his room Ghenna jumped up, cheering. She'd done it! His most powerful Arch-Bishop felled by a woman, HIS woman!!  
  
  
Satomi cheered and ran up to the glass. Leska and the others soon followed. Aisha had done it! She'd actually HIT Kaiser! She'd won!!  
  
  
On the floor Kaiser sat up shaking his head. He smiled. Little Aisha had done it. The child managed to pull it off. With a quick flip he snapped himself back onto his feet. He could feel where she'd hit him on his cheek; it was starting to swell somewhat. He turned to the floor and looked at where Aisha laid prone, breathing hard and looking back up at him.  
  
"Well hit, child. Well hit." he said rubbing his cheek. "I'm impressed Aisha. You're the first to hit me since I've become Arch-Bishop."  
  
Kaiser reached out and extended his hand. Aisha looked at it wordlessly a moment wondering if he was going to hit her with it, but then realized he was holding it out for her, not against her. He wanted to help her up. Smiling slightly she took his hand into hers. With a heave Kaiser pulled her up.   
  
Suddenly he jerked her forward and shot his knee up slamming it into her stomach. Aisha had been caught completely off guard. Her breath had been knocked clean from her body and she seemed to fold in two around his knee. Kaiser leaned over her and whispered into her ear.  
  
"An eye for an eye, child. Eye for an eye. You've done well. Very well. You and I will be spending more quality time together."  
  
And with that he felt Aisha go limp in his arms. She'd finally blacked out. He held her up and smiled. Behind him someone was softly clapping and he turned. There, walking into the room, was Lord Ghenna. His was smiling, his eyes totally flat.  
  
"Well done, my Kaiser. It looks like we have a winner." He walked over and examined Aisha in Kaiser's arms.   
  
"Tcha, be careful next time my Arch-Bishop. She's only a child. She hasn't quite matured enough, yet."  
  
"Yes, lord."  
  
Ghenna turned to the seven resting behind the glass walls watching them and frowned.  
  
"So much for those. I guess we can dispose of all but one. They're useless to me. They won't cycle, so they can't bear children. And it seems they can't fight as well." he turned back to Kaiser and sighed. "I suppose we'll simply have to destroy them and start over."  
  
What Kaiser said next surprised everyone including himself. "What? No! No sir!"  
  
Ghenna cocked an eye. "No?"  
  
Kaiser shook his head. "You haven't given them enough time to mature yet, Lord. They all have potential. Lets... lets keep them for a while longer and wait yet. They may still cycle. I know their combat potential has yet to be reached, but I'm sure that given the time we will be able to train them to be on par with the current cycle of Gray Eyes."  
  
Ghenna frowned. "You know how I hate waiting..."  
  
"Indeed sir, but I feel maybe we should still hold off a little bit. Give them time. Good things do come to those who wait."  
  
The old man turned back to the seven sitting anxiously aside waiting to know what the men were both intently discussing. Slowly, he finally nodded.  
  
"All right Kaiser. We'll keep them alive for a little while longer. Let us wait and see..."  
  
Kaiser nodded.  
  
"Funny," Ghenna said stroking his chin. "I thought you hated these women. Didn't you despise them not too long ago."  
  
Kaiser fell speechless. He didn't know what to say. Ghenna was right. He smiled at Kaiser's silence and began to chuckle.   
  
"I told you my dear boy, I told you. They do have a habit of growing on you."  
  
He turned and silently walked back through the door and left, making a brief nod to the women he had condemned to death not thirty seconds before.  
  
Kaiser watched him go, still holding Aisha. It wasn't until one of the aids came up that he moved.   
  
"Sir!" He said. "I'll need to take that. She needs to be hospitalized. We need to make sure she heals properly."  
  
Kaiser nodded and set her down. "Where are you taking her?"  
  
"General treatment-"  
  
"No!" He said cutting him off sharply. "Take her to Gray Treatment. She needs the expertise there."  
  
The aid looked shocked for a moment. "But sir, these are women we're talking about here! What business should they have up at Gray Treat-"  
  
"Because they have the same skeletal frame as any other Gray Eye. Now get going and take her up there!"  
  
The aid nodded once. "Aye sir." He wasn't going to argue. Kaiser wasn't the debating type. Gently Aisha was lifted and taken away from the glass chamber. Kaiser watched her go shaking his head at himself. Was he getting soft? Since when did he care about any of those women?  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Almost a week later Aisha was just about healed up. Her bone had set almost instantly and was coming along fine. All the cuts and bruises were gone, they were the first to heal up. Daily, Kaiser would stop in and check up on her. At first Aisha was cold to him, she thought he was there to mock her as incapacitated as she was. But as the week progressed she found that he was there because he was genuinely concerned with how she was doing. She realized he cared about her condition. Slowly, she began to soften up to him. Kaiser had changed a bit...  
  
As her wounds healed they released her from the Gray Treatment and sent her back into the living areas where all the other women stayed. They still slept in their jungle playground at nights. It was easier to set them up there than build and place them into all new quarters. Due to Aisha's outstanding performance they were all given two weeks rest. She'd fought and saved them all, and now they were enjoying the fruits of her labor.   
  
Everyone enjoyed the rest, that is, except Aisha herself. The day after she returned to her home Kaiser came back and took her away. They were going for a run.  
  
"You're build for speed," he told her on the way to the surface. "We need to train you to run and jump and sprint and travel long distances with out tiring. You're the special one out of the group now. You're the squad leader. While they are resting and playing you will be running and training with me. We're going to make you strong."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Aisha wasn't too happy to hear the news. She wanted to join them and relax. Running wasn't her idea of fun... She didn't like this at all. She didn't want to run, she didn't want to leave her sisters behind and jog with the Arch-Bishop. She didn't want to, that is, until she saw something that Kaiser alone chose to reveal to her. Something great and magnificent. Something never before seen by herself or her sisters.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
She was riding a large cargo elevator going straight up into inky blackness. Kaiser was standing beside her leaning against a side rail wearing only a loose pair of fatigues and a pair of boots. Aisha herself was wearing something similar. It was the same fatigues and boots, but above the waist she was wearing something called a 'bra'. It was elastic and wrapped around her chest supposedly 'supporting' her. To be specific it was a sports bra, but she didn't care about the difference. All she cared was that it seemed tight around her and itchy. All the clothing they wore seemed to be itchy and tight. They never seemed to fit her right. Her hair, like Kaiser's, was tied back into a tight braid.  
  
She leaned against the rail and silently waited for it to stop wherever they were going. She was in a sour mood. While all her friends were relaxing and taking a break she had to go running. It wasn't fair. She'd won the time and yet she wasn't able to collect upon it. She looked up and checked the floor numbers. Why was this taking so long?  
  
"Kaiser, we passed the running grounds."  
  
The tall man against the far rail nodded. "I know."  
  
Aisha turned back to wall and watched the floor numbers drop down from above.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Up."  
  
"No, I mean where are we headed? Where are we stopping?"  
  
Kaiser smiled slightly. "The largest running ground on all of Terra II."  
  
"Oro? Really? Why there?"  
  
"We need the room."  
  
Aisha cocked her head. "The running ground's big enough. We always use the track."  
  
Kaiser looked over with a weird light in his eyes. "There's something else I'd like to show you."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Aisha turned back to the wall and watched the numbers that indicated what floor level they were on drop down from the darkness one by one. What was Kaiser talking about?  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Finally, as Aisha looked up, she saw a ceiling.  
  
"We're at the top..." she remarked. Kaiser only grunted. The elevator rose to the last set of doors and came to a stop. With a hiss the large cargo doors slid wide open. It revealed a brightly-lit hallway that opened into, what seemed to be, a locker room.  
  
"Follow me." Kaiser said before taking off. Aisha followed closely behind as he made his way to the lockers. The large room was empty. Kaiser and herself were the only ones in there. The Arch-Bishop went over to one of the lockers and punched in a few numbers onto the keypad. The door popped open and Kaiser reached inside. He pulled out two small canteens, a small satchel and what looked to be a tiny compass.  
  
He closed the door and turned to Aisha. "I'm going to show you something that none of your friends have ever seen. " he turned and began walking again talking over his shoulder. "When I was fighting you, I saw something in your eyes. I saw this strange light, this determination that I've only seen in a few other times in my life. It was the look of someone who wanted to live at any cost, of someone who was going to fight death until the very end. I couldn't understand why you'd feel such a way until after you won."  
  
Kaiser came to another door and opened it, taking them into a long dimly lit hallway. "Ghenna was going to kill all of you who couldn't defeat me. He was unimpressed with your performance and the fact that you never cycled."  
  
"Cycled?" Aisha asked.  
  
Kaiser turned his head to her. "Ovulate, become fertile. He wants you eight to fertilize. To become sexually mature."  
  
Aisha shook her head. "I, I don't understand..."  
  
"Women such as yourself have the ability to reproduce, to create young. When a man and a woman who is fertile couple, a child is born some time later. It's called reproduction. Procreation. It's how a species survives."  
  
"Well, what's wrong with us?"  
  
"You don't cycle. Apparently once a month you're supposed to cycle; an egg inside your body becomes fertile. When the seed of a man comes in contact with this egg the egg changes and begins to divide. It grows and matures until a child is born."  
  
"Child?"  
  
"A child is a younger, smaller version of all of us. All humans have a childhood stage except you eight. Childhood is where a babe learns to talk and walk and think and act. It's preparation for adult hood. You women didn't have one. You were all born as adults with memories already implanted in your minds. It was Ghenna's hope that you would cycle and mature much, much sooner than a child. He's yet to see this and is becoming very impatient."  
  
Aisha was silent. This was all news to her. Kaiser continued.  
  
"But that isn't the point. When we were fighting I saw that determination in your eyes. I saw that force of will and I became impressed. You were halfway healed up when you awoke so you never saw the full extent of the damage I did to you. You were bloody and black and blue, Aisha. I beat you real bad. Yet each every time I knocked you down, you rose up again."  
  
He faced her again. "I don't think there is a single person on this entire planet who could have done what you did. You impressed me. You've earned my respect, child."   
  
Aisha walked on silently. She wasn't sure if she should have taken that as a compliment. From how he'd treated the other men he was around his 'respect' didn't seem like very much.  
  
"All your life, the extent of your world has been this facility. When I say this whole world I'm not sure you grasp just what I mean exactly. I'm not sure you grasp the scope of what I'm saying. So I want to show you."  
  
"Show me what, Kaiser?"  
  
They approached a single door. Aisha could see a red light shining through the cracks along the sides.  
  
"I want to show you the world." He said with a smile. Taking the handle, he turned the knob and pulled the door open.  
  
  
  
Aisha was hit with a small burst of cool air and a strong blast of light. She raised her hands and shielded her eyes. She felt a great many small things hitting her in the face and on her hands and body. Slowly, as she uncovered her eyes, she saw for the first time what Kaiser wanted to show her.  
  
They were standing just outside small bunker out in the middle of nowhere. The small things that had been hitting her were granules of sand. For as far as Aisha's eyes could see she saw the sand. Billions upon billions upon countless billions of granules everywhere. Above her was the sky. Big wide and open, it was tinted red. In the west; far, far in the distance; Aisha saw, for the first time in her life, a sunrise.  
  
It was a big wide globe of fire coming out of the ground. It painted the sky with streaks of red and orange and yellow. It stained the entire horizon with its light. She saw, for the first time, its majestic glory as it seemingly rose out of the dirt. It tinted the land red in its powerful glow, casting long deep shadows, dying everything in sight with its color.  
  
Aisha was speechless. It was beautiful... It took her breath away. Kaiser saw the shocked expression on her face and smiled. Gently, he took her hand.  
  
"Come on," He said. "Let's go for a run."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Aisha and Kaiser jogged very quickly side by side watching the sun rise up and clearing the horizon. The cool air began to fade and was replaced by much, much warmer air. The red tint faded from the land and the sky and was replaced by natural light. Aisha could see only sand for as far as she ran. There were scattered stones and the occasional plant but for the most part the land was barren.  
  
"Desert..." She said to herself. "Kaiser? Is this all that there is out here?"  
  
The Arch-Bishop pointed to the west. "You see that small bump on the horizon over there?"  
  
Aisha narrowed her eyes and focused. Yeah... yeah there was a small point on the far horizon. It barely seemed to stick up out of the sand.  
  
"Yeah..." She said slowly. "What is it?"  
  
"That's the Rocket Shot. There's a very large catapult there that flings space craft up a ramp shooting them into the sky."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why? Well, way, way up there in the sky there is an orbital station, it hovers just out side Terra II's gravity. Up there they have the time labs."  
  
"The what?"  
  
"Time labs. They run matter accelerators and time distortion devices up there. We've found how to go back into yesterday and how to go many days into the future at our own discretion. We can travel thousands of days into tomorrow to see what is there."  
  
"Really? What's there?"  
  
"Not Mesopotamia." He said frowning. "For some reason our kingdom of Mesopotamia disappears. We're not sure exactly why it simply vanishes, but we think we might have an idea. It's believed something happens to Lord Ghenna and after that everything falls apart. However there were no records of Lord Ghenna dying in the future, so we are at a loss as to why civilization disappears. The lower six kingdoms are still alive and flourishing, however, but the super kingdom of Mesopotamia..."  
  
He trailed off when he noticed Aisha wasn't listening. Instead she was grimacing slightly as she ran.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked.  
  
"My legs..." Aisha said slowing down. "They hurt when I run."  
  
Kaiser slowed down with her and pulled her to a stop.  
  
"Show me where."  
  
Aisha bent over and ran her fingers up along her shins. Kaiser squeezed them slightly and heard Aisha gasp in pain.  
  
"Shin splints..." he said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're not hitting the ground correctly when you run. Your feet are striking the ground odd. I don't think you're used to these boots yet."  
  
"What, what then-"  
  
"Take them off." Kaiser said.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Take them off. You can't run in these boots yet."  
  
"But, but the ground is hot! I'm gonna burn my feet!"  
  
Kaiser smiled. "Then we're just going to have to run faster and keep your feet off the ground."  
  
With a whimper Aisha started to untie her boot. Watching her a moment, he bent down and began to do the same himself.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked.  
  
"I'm training you to push your body's limits. I'm teaching you how to become stronger. What kind of teacher would I be if I made you run barefoot in the burning sands of Middle Terra while I ran with the comforts of boots?"  
  
Aisha watched him bend over and unlace his other boot and smiled.  
  
  
Finishing up with their boots, they tied the ends of the laces together and strung them over their shoulders. With out so much as a word between them they started running again. The sand was burning hot, so when they ran they rose their feet clear of the fire and when they stepped, they moved quickly to keep their feet from staying down too long. As Aisha ran her shin splints began to clear up. She began to feel better despite the burning of the ground. Kaiser wordlessly ran along side with her. Neither of them felt winded despite their speed and the distance they were running. Aisha had been trained earlier to run long distances without problems and now spent her time gazing at the cerulean skies and admiring the colors and shades of this desert landscape instead of gasping for breath.  
  
The sun rose higher and higher into the sky as they ran. There weren't any plasma clouds to be seen and Kaiser remarked at this. Aisha asked what they were and Kaiser explained. They were these clouds made up of from the energy stored deep inside Terra II that surfaced every once and a while. He told her that plasma clouds were dangerous to most men and machines, but not to them. Their skeletal system was a natural plasma diffuser. Plasma was about as much of a threat to them as a strong blast of wind.  
  
  
Soon, as they ran, the sand disappeared and they found themselves running on hard stone. It was baked onto the ground and almost as hot as the sand. Aisha had to squint in order to see. The sun was reflected off of this rock and shone brightly in her eyes. The ground was much harder than before. There were many jagged edges and hard clumps of dirt to avoid. While there was still the occasional plant they passed, for the most part this area was barren. Kaiser turned them to the direction of a small group of rocks in the distance. They ran steadily and hard over the baked earth making straight for the stones. The sun was a little past overhead when they finally reached it.  
  
  
Kaiser called a stop and they rested. The large stones stuck out of the ground at all angles and overlapped one another in many places. In the center was a small, cool cave. Both of them sat down and rested inside, out of the blazing hot sun.  
  
"Not bad." He remarked while looking Aisha over. She was hot and sweating, but still breathing lightly. Kaiser turned outside a moment before digging into the small satchel he was carrying at his side.  
  
"Here," He said pulling out a small tube. "Rub this all over your exposed skin. It'll keep the sun from burning you."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Take this bottle," He said showing her what to do. "And squeeze a little bit out like so and rub it all over your body. It'll block the strong light of the sun from burning your skin."  
  
He squeezed out a bit and applied it all over his shoulders and across his chest and arms.  
  
"Y' don't need too much, just a little should do," he said, handing the bottle over to her.  
  
Aisha looked at it a second and shook her head smiling. Whatever he says...  
  
She grabbed the ends of her sports top and in one smooth motion peeled it off her body. It was soaking wet from her perspiration. With a disgusted grunt she tossed it to the side and began applying the small lotion.  
  
"They do we have to wear those stupid things?" She asked, rubbing the lotion into her arms.  
  
Kaiser turned to the desert outside the shade of their cave. "Lord Ghenna says that it used to be indecent for women to walk around exposed like you are. He said they covered themselves up. I suppose he wants the same for you."  
  
She cocked an eyebrow. "And you're not bothered by me?"  
  
"What?" he said facing her again.  
  
"Being 'exposed' like this. You're not bothered by it?"  
  
Kaiser chuckled. "Child, I've known you since before you first opened your eyes. There isn't a crack or a crevice on your body that I don't know about. I could care less what you wear. It's Lord Ghenna that commands you to do so, not me."  
  
Aisha frowned mockingly at him. "But wait a minute. What kind of teacher are you of you make us wear these ridiculous things while you get to go around topless all the time?"  
  
"Don't push your luck."  
  
Aisha giggled and continued to apply the salve. They sat there for a minute in silence enjoying the coolness of the cave out of the blinding desert light.  
  
"Kaiser," Aisha said breaking the silence. "Do we need to put this on our backs?"  
  
"Yeah. That'll burn as well. We'd better."  
  
"But I can't reach around that far."  
  
"Eh?" Kaiser remarked turning to her. "Turn around then. I'll rub it on."  
  
Aisha turned her body and handed the bottle over. Kaiser squeezed some of the paste out and began to rub it over her back. Aisha closed her eyes and began to smile. This felt good...  
  
  
Kaiser was surprised. Her skin was softer than it looked. He'd never really touched her before. She was surprisingly soft. He moved her long braid and rubbed the lotion in down the spine of her back. She was a lot smoother than he originally thought.  
  
Aisha giggled. "That tickles."  
  
"Er... uh, sorry." Kaiser said turning slightly red. What the hell... he was blushing?! What for? Didn't he hate these women?  
  
Swallowing, he finished and capped the bottle. "There, that'll do it."  
  
"What about you?" she said turning around.  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"Aren't you going to apply some to your back too?"  
  
"What? Err, Uhh no. I'll be fine."  
  
"Nonsense!" Aisha spat grabbing the bottle from his hands. "You're going to burn yourself. Sit still."  
  
Kaiser heard her move behind him and a moment later she was applying some as well. He sighed and slumped his shoulders. Fine, whatever she wanted...  
  
  
Whatever she wanted?  
  
  
'What kind of Bishop am I?!' He thought to himself. 'Allowing a little child to tell me what to do!'  
  
But as he felt her hands move along his back and rub in the lotion, his indignity began to melt away and he smiled slightly. This did feel pretty good...  
  
Aisha ran her hands along his muscular back in wonder. He was strong. She could feel the cords of muscle and bone beneath her hand. He was breathing slowly and steadily. Aisha was amazed. None one she'd ever known before felt this way under her touch. There was power in each curve she went over. There was strength in each crevice and pit. He was almost unreal...  
  
  
As Aisha finished Kaiser sniffed the air.  
  
"Aisha, do you smell that?"  
  
"Smell what?"  
  
He stood up and scanned the ground. "Blood... Are you bleeding?"  
  
Aisha sat a moment. "Well...I guess a little bit."  
  
"What? Where..." Kaiser sat beside her and examined her body. He quickly found the source.  
  
"Aisha! Why didn't you tell me?! We've been marching all this time and you never bothered to let me know your feet were bleeding!"  
  
"I didn't need to. I was still running with you."  
  
He exhaled as he checked her feet over. The bottoms of them were all torn and bloody. She'd cut them pretty bad somewhere along the way.  
  
"God, you idiot. You could have really hurt yourself."  
  
"I'm fine, I'm serious!"  
  
"We're in the desert Aisha! Water is a scarce commodity here. You need to retain all the liquid you can. Bleeding out here is just like tossing all our water away. You can die from it."  
  
Aisha fell silent as Kaiser pulled out a roll of bandages from his satchel. She was lucky, the cuts weren't deep.  
  
"When did you cut them?"  
  
"When we entered the stony part of the desert."  
  
"God, how could you go so long like this?" He said shaking his head once more.  
  
Aisha shrugged. "I didn't think it was a reason to stop."  
  
Kaiser chuckled. "You're either very determined, or very stupid, child."  
  
Aisha said little as he finished up. "You know how far we've come," He said standing. "Since we left the bunker?"  
  
"No. How far?"  
  
Kaiser smiled again. "Close to 60 miles."  
  
Aisha cocked her head. "How far?"  
  
Kaiser pulled a canteen from his shoulder and handed it to her to drink from. "Four times around the track in the running grounds is one mile. Now multiply that by 60."  
  
Aisha counted in her head a moment until her eyes lit up. "240 times around?!"  
  
"We've almost never stopped. It's been about 5 hours since we started. We made very good time. Bet you didn't know you could run that far?"  
  
"N-no I didn't..."  
  
"It's the system inside your body, that's what helps you. Your muscles were grown to handle all that running and your lungs are designed to pull much, much more air than the average man. Any lactic acid that builds up in your body is removed by your skeletal system. You can push yourself all day if you wanted."  
  
"Why didn't we?"  
  
"Because we're in the desert. It would be dangerous. I can't have you passing out from heat exhaustion."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
They sat there another long moment resting. A slight breeze blew through the cave expelling some of the hot air. Aisha felt her hair get caught in the breeze and giggled. She'd never felt wind before, not like this. It was cool and refreshing. It always popped up when ever she needed it most, whenever the air became its hottest. The air seemed crisper to her up here. It seemed much more fresh. She'd never been to the surface before, this was her first time.  
  
"Kaiser," she said standing and pointing. "What's that?"  
  
Kaiser followed her aim. She was pointing to a small desert tree. It had, what looked like, seven or eight full, yellowish green roses on the end. They were clustered together at the very tip in full bloom despite the full heat of the sun. Kaiser smiled.  
  
"It's a desert plant. The forefathers crossed the DNA of some strong flowering plants with those of a sturdy desert type. You don't see many of these around. Looks like we lucked out. It's in bloom."  
  
"What's it called?" Aisha asked, her eyes shining brightly.  
  
"A Lime Rose."  
  
"Lime Rose..." she said in wonderment. It was beautiful. Another breeze kicked in and stirred the petals of the plant.   
  
Kaiser saw the look on her face and smiled. "You like that, huh?"  
  
"It's beautiful."  
  
"Mmm." He said nodding.   
  
Aisha's eyes shined as she smiled at the plant. She'd never seen anything like it before. Kaiser sat there and let her gaze at it. He, himself, was in love with the Lime Rose as well. There were few other men who took pleasure in plants like he did. Plants never fought, they never argued, they never tried to kill you, they were always gentle, they never said a hard word against you or got angry; they were always beautiful.  
  
This was ironic, Kaiser was the head warrior on all of Terra II. He was the number one killing machine in all of the land, and yet he took a strong liking to the smaller, gentler, more beautiful things.  
  
"Kaiser..."   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Aisha turned and scooted closer to him. "Kaiser, I...I..."  
  
"Aisha?"  
  
She bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows.   
  
"Can...can I tell you something?"  
  
"Hm? What is it?"  
  
She swallowed and spoke slowly. "When I...first saw you... I hated you."  
  
"Aisha!"  
  
"You see, I had this dream that you were in weeks before I met you. You... you told me that if I didn't beat you, that I would die. That at the hands of a monster I would be killed."  
  
Kaiser sat up. "Aisha what are you talking about?"  
  
"Please Kaiser." she said closing her eyes and placing her hand over his. "Just let me say this. I feel it's important."  
  
He sat back slowly and nodded. "All right. Go on."  
  
She paused a moment before starting again. "...In the dream you hurt me. You hurt me badly. You struck me and beat me and yelled at me. But then, very suddenly, you changed. You became kind. You talked to me with compassion. I, I had no idea who you really were at the time. But... when I saw you for the first time, I..."  
  
She trailed off, bringing her legs up in front of her. "Kaiser I hated you. I saw you as something that I needed to defeat in order to survive. When I attacked you, I was thinking that there was my chance to live. All I had to do was beat you and I would live. Then you struck me down. When you seemed to sneer at me lying incapacitated on the ground, and I began to hate you.   
  
"Through out all this training you were mean to us. You always yelled, never afraid to hit us or knock us into line. I hated you for everything you did. I bided my time trying to get stronger in hopes that one day I would be able to kill you and live, to kill you and please the demon that wanted to kill me. When I heard that we would be fighting you again I got scared. I knew I wasn't ready to face you again. I wasn't strong enough.   
  
"I watched you lay waste to all my friends. I saw them fall one by one. I realized that I just might die. You seemed like an unstoppable juggernaut. I realized that it was impossible to kill you like I was. But... something inside me started to burn. I was about to die, I knew it, but I still wanted to live. I wanted to live so badly. The words you spoke to me in my dream came back, and the thing inside of me began to burn brighter. Even if it was impossible, I told myself, I wouldn't lose. If I was going to die, so be it. I wanted to die at your hands, trying to live. It would show that monster watching me that even in the end, I wasn't going to lay down and accept my fate...  
  
"In the end I wasn't afraid of dying. I was afraid of failing. I was afraid of falling and not getting back up. That's what kept me going, through all of your sneers and attacks and counters and pummelings...  
  
"When I hit you, that once, that one time, something inside me came alive. It flared up and made me happy. I was weak, and it hurt to move, but I was still happy. I was going to live. I had done the impossible. My friends and I were going to live. Up until I passed out in your arms I knew I was going to be ok, and I felt good despite everything.  
  
"For some reason I didn't hate you as much after. You didn't sneer at me. You didn't hit me like you used to. You even smiled once or twice. I guess I had conquered part of you and that tamed my hatred some. I found I could stand you that much more. Then today you woke me up and took me away from my family. You didn't yell at all, you didn't scowl... you seemed different. I was a little wary of you, I thought you were pulling a trick on me. But then you took me up and showed me the most beautiful thing I ever saw."  
  
Aisha leaned close and rested her head on his shoulder. "You showed me a world I never knew existed. Even if it is hot, and it hurts your feet and it kills you, it's the world. I've never seen a world as beautiful as this. I never saw the sky so beautiful before. I never saw such vast lands before. Nothing as far as my eyes can see. And the Lime Rose..." she paused and smiled. "You showed me so much. You were kind to me today for the first time in my life. You've been so sweet to me, you've done more than you know."  
  
She locked her arm around his and squeezed it close to her body.  
  
"Thank you Kaiser."  
  
  
He was speechless. For the first time since he'd known her he was absolutely speechless. He looked down at her wordlessly. He'd changed. When he first saw the women he saw wild animals. He saw creatures fit only for extermination. He hated everything about them. He remembered telling Lord Ghenna 'I say you kill them all. Wipe them clean from the face of Terra II. They're a blight that should have long since been removed. They're a waste of time and resources. Just kill them and be done with it.'  
  
But Aisha had changed that. She was the only one bold enough to oppose him. She showed him that they all had wills and strength. That they were more than animals. When he began his fight with her he'd started it with displeasure and disgust. But every time Aisha defied him and rose back up he changed just a bit. He saw the fire in her eyes and read her lips, he saw her take her broken and battered body off the floor to defy him time and time again. He'd never met such a human before. Most would have laid down and simply accepted fate. But Aisha didn't. She wouldn't lay down and die.  
  
And now, now despite all the times he'd struck her, despite all the times he'd said something hurtful, despite all the times he degraded her and beat her down, she still rose above that. Kaiser respected her by the end of that fight. She'd shown him that she was human. She was more human than any of the men who stood there watching it. She was human and she was strong.   
  
But now she'd done something Kaiser would never forget, even till his last moments. He'd taken her up to the surface because he'd grown fond of the woman. She'd proven herself to him, proven that she was more than what he made her out to be. He'd taken her up and shown her the world because she deserved it.  
  
Now, it seemed, she'd forgiven him without even his asking. She'd taken hold of his arm and held him to her and thanked him for all he'd shown her. She'd overcome her own hatred, something Kaiser had been unable to do until Aisha showed him just who she really was.  
  
Kaiser was cold and heartless to other men because they were so inherently cold and heartless to him. They always said hard words and spoke with out thinking. Unknowingly, Kaiser had done the same to these women. Aisha was able to overcome that. She was able to do what Kaiser could not.  
  
  
She was shocked when she felt him pull his arm loose from her. She sat up and looked at him as he pulled his arm free from her grasp. But instead of pushing her away, however, he wrapped it around her shoulders and pulled her whole body close. He didn't say a word the whole time. Aisha smiled and placed her head back on his shoulder. They sat there like that, just letting the breeze blow in to cool their bodies watching the Lime Rose flutter it's petals in the wind. They rested there for a long time, letting the sun lower itself in the sky, saying absolutely nothing, savoring each other for the first time in either of their lives. It was a beautiful day.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Two years passed. After the first time Kaiser and Aisha went out into the desert to run the remaining seven found him a changed man. Almost the first thing he did the next day was line them up that morning and apologize. They were all very surprised to say the least. He told them he regretted everything he had said and done to them up till that point and asked for their forgiveness.  
  
From then on, they changed their views about one another. They began to develop a respect for the Arch-Bishop. He didn't yell at them like he did before. He still yelled, but his tone was much different. He listened when they had to speak, he never hit them, he joined in on any exercises he put them through. He defended them when ever they made a mistake in front of other men, or even Lord Ghenna himself. He was the first and only man in the entire facility that showed them any respect.  
  
Under Kaiser's new guidance they flourished in their training. Aiko and Asuka were able to define and tone their strength. They began to hit harder and more powerfully, utilizing the full capabilities of their strength system.   
  
Nanaka became faster, much faster. She learned she was able to push herself quicker and harder than she ever thought possible. While her fighting skills needed work, she became one of the fastest humans on all of Terra II, logging in new and incredible times on her sprints and runs.   
  
Krysta and Satomi began to develop their combat sensors like nothing else. They found that they were able to predict and counter attacks from multiple sources very accurately and very quickly. Kaiser became impressed when, together, they managed to beat the Gray Eye qualification test for combat sensing systems- the test Gray Eye apprentices take in order to become full fledged combat warriors. Granted they needed to work together in order to do it, they still managed to score high marks.  
  
Leska and Katsumi were special. Kaiser learned that Katsumi was by far the cleverest out of all of them. On a hunch he put her skills to a rudimentary hacking test and found she scored very high. While not very physical, her mind made her important. He started her in training as a hacking specialist. Lord Ghenna was pleased at such a decision. Kaiser had cleverly come up with a way to utilize her mind in a strong, productive manner. Katsumi was at the top of her class up to when she graduated. Kaiser put her into an advanced class and let her mind roll on its way there. She became proficient in the sciences and computer engineering. Programming and computer A.I. became her specialty.  
  
Leska was something different all together. She scored high on speed and strength, but not high enough to warrant her specializing in any of those areas. Kaiser didn't know what to put her into. His indecision was quickly cleared up when Lord Ghenna demanded that she be put into speed. He had something else in store for her in the future and speed would be the best thing for her to specialize in at the moment. Kaiser didn't complain any. She ended up scoring moderately on all the tests. Kaiser hoped Lord Ghenna had something very special planned for her. She was a kind person and he took a strong liking to her. She was very sweet and pure, if at times she became a tad rambunctious.   
  
Aisha probably did the best out of all of them. Kaiser already knew she was a fast learner. He just didn't know how fast. He put her into speed training and helped her flourish in that. She ended up completing the training run faster than any of the others. While she wasn't quite as fast as Nanaka, she was still fast... very fast. Kaiser decided to put her into combat training next. He taught her how to fight; How to swing and counter and strike back. Once more she'd impressed him. She did very well. In the end not only was she was fast, she knew how to fight. She completed the Gray Eye Qualification Test for Combat Speed systems and, had she been a male, she would have become a full-fledged Gray Eye. In under the space of two years she'd done this. All other Gray Eye spent upwards fifteen years in training. Kaiser had been too proud for words.  
  
The Arch-Bishop grew proud of all his charges. He was still very, very close to Aisha. Often they would go out into the desert and jog for hours on end going where ever their feet took them. They savored just being with one another. Kaiser didn't know it, but he was falling in love with the woman. Every day she taught him something new. He began to see her in his dreams. He began to love her touch, the feel of her skin softly on his. Her smile brightened him and his day while her tears often brought a few of his own.  
  
  
  
Lord Ghenna, on the other hand, grew impatient. None of the women were cycling. Monthly he'd test them and every month the tests came back negative. They were turning out to be fine warriors, but not much else. He didn't want more soldiers, he wanted sons and daughters. He had as many fighters as he would ever need.  
  
Every time he talked to Kaiser about sending the damn women away and starting fresh and new again he would object, saying that they were coming along fine and that waiting would be the wisest course of action. But Lord Ghenna was beginning to think differently. They were almost three and a half years old. Why weren't they fertile? The gene coders said that the codes they had used were the correct ones. Everything worked and each of them was a full-fledged human. Their DNA was as complete as any other man's on the planet.  
  
None of them, however, could explain why they couldn't bear children. The Lord was becoming tired. In the end he had the science teams go back to the drawing boards and start over on their research. He'd made up his mind. He wanted children not soldiers. All but Leska and possibly Aisha would have to go. There was still so much potential in both of them. Leska could still become so much more than the others, and Aisha might be a useful combatant in the future. He thought about keeping them, but the rest...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
One morning Kaiser was told to head into the city and meet Ghenna in his office. The 'City,' as it was called, was the capital of Mesopotamia. It was a whole metropolis that hovered on a platform well above any of the ground cities in the 6 kingdoms. This allowed Lord Ghenna to go anywhere on the planet with ease. His influence could be exerted anywhere at any time. It was his method of keeping the six leaders under his control. They wouldn't dare up rise against him if they knew that he would be over them at a moments notice raining down death and destruction from his massive, floating city.  
  
Dominating the center of this city was a massive tower dubbed 'Gheddon'. It was from here that Lord Ghenna ruled over everything. From that massive tower the world opened up below him. It was huge, almost seventy stories tall, and circular in shape. It was colored black as night and was a fearsome sight to gaze upon. It was the symbol of Lord Ghenna's power and might. It was terrible in its glory and beauty.  
  
Kaiser was deep inside Gheddon, riding a small central elevator up to the top where Ghenna's main office resided. It was unusual for him to be called up on short notice. He waited patiently watching he floors tick away. What could he possibly want?  
  
With a small ping the door opened and Kaiser stepped into a long room. There was a small walkway that extended for about fifty feet until it reached a long, low desk. It was of a very dark wood carved with intricate designs and patterns. Behind the desk was a very large window that extended from ceiling to floor and from one end of the wall to the other. It was close to thirty feet long. The drapes that covered the glass were pulled back to let in the sunlight and view of the city far below. Dead center of the whole display behind the desk was a single chair. Seated in this chair was the high Lord of Mesopotamia, Ghenna. He sat with his hands crossed in front of his face, his eyes glittering in the darkness. He was a thin silhouette in front of the very large window.  
  
Kaiser became on his guard. Ghenna's eyes were shining...  
  
"You wanted to see me Lord Ghenna?"  
  
"Yes Kaiser." He replied slowly. "Yes my boy. It's about the women. Come in, come in."  
  
Kaiser sharply inhaled as he approached the long desk. "What about Lord?"  
  
"I'm relieving you of your duties to them."  
  
He stopped. "L-Lord Ghenna! What-"  
  
"Kaiser, stop." He said raising his withered old hand. "Stop right there... I have grown tired of waiting on those women. They will not mature. If they haven't done so now, they won't ever. I have decided that your duties to them will be relieved. I feel that you will be of more use to me in other areas."  
  
Kaiser didn't say anything. He was in shock. Ghenna was taking them away from him. He was loosing them. Kaiser swallowed. "Lord... what will happen to them."  
  
Ghenna sat back and fixated his glittering gaze upon him. "They will be destroyed. I have no more use for them. We will start all over from scratch-"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Ghenna's eyes narrowed. "What?" he said dangerously.  
  
"No, Lord Ghenna! Please forgive me for this outburst but I must object to this. You cannot just kill them. Doing so would be murder! They deserve to live as much as anyone else."  
  
"I disagree." Ghenna replied. "They are useless to me. I don't need anymore soldiers. I have to admit that your training of them has been most impressive, but it is not enough to just make them Gray Eye. They do not cycle. I need them to bear children, not arms Kaiser. I will not spend anymore money on them. I have better things to do, and nothing you will tell me, Kaiser, will change my decision. I've waited far too long. All but one of them will be destroyed."  
  
Kaiser approached the desk and planted his palms on the top. "Lord Ghenna, if you will not reconsider putting a stop to their training at least reconsider killing them. There has to be another way to let them go. Perhaps one that will make you money in return!"  
  
"This isn't simply about money Kaiser! I have all the funds in the world."  
  
"Then perhaps a way that will glorify your name! A way to earn pure respect for you and your kingdom. To make the people proud to be a human on Terra II!"  
  
Ghenna paused. The sparkle in his eyes faded a bit as he contemplated this. "Go on..." He said slowly.  
  
"Lord, perhaps instead of killing them, maybe... maybe you can reveal them to the people. Let them know of them. Then they will realize that the first true women on Terra II had been created by your glorious hands. They would celebrate and become proud. They will work harder and be far more industrious. As spirit and moral rise so does your kingdom! They could be the Eves of our time."  
  
Ghenna rubbed his chin reflectively. Kaiser may have a point. Just maybe... After a minute of contemplation he shook his head.  
  
"No, I will not do that."  
  
"Lord!"  
  
"Listen to me Kaiser. If I unveil them to the masses with out their fertility guaranteed they will be frowned upon as half-humans. People will laugh and jeer, stating that we can't even make a full human female. Your idea with boomerang and strike back at us. No, I cannot allow that."  
  
Kaiser felt his legs grow weak. There was no way, his lord couldn't possibly mean it.  
  
"But... Kaiser," Lord Ghenna said smiling slightly. "You are my most trusted aid. There is no one else in all of Terra II whom I'd rather have at my side. You are strongest and the bravest and the most loyal. You seek to save their lives, something that not three years ago I would have ever dreamed of you saying. You hated them with a passion unlike anything I have ever seen. But now... now you fight to save them."  
  
Kaiser looked up as his lord continued. "It is because of this that I will spare their lives. For you Kaiser I will not kill them. No, it is your wish to let them live and I will respect that. Instead, then, I will sell them. I will auction each one of them off to the highest bidder and I will send them on their way. Each bidder will be one of my nobles, of course, and will be sworn to keep the truth about them a secret."  
  
He leaned forward and crossed his fingers again. "Do you agree with this Kaiser?"  
  
'Do I agree?!' he thought furiously. 'Of course I don't!!'  
  
Kaiser knew each of the nobles and almost all of them were low, despicable people. Kaiser would sooner allow his eight to be cast out into the street and starve like dogs than let them serve under those horrible demons...  
  
And yet... he knew that he had no other choice. This was Ghenna's decision. Either he agrees with it and they go off into a life of bondage and slavery or they die... It was a decision too horrible to make.  
  
  
Slowly, ever so slowly, he nodded. Ghenna smiled. "Good. Good boy. It is set then. Their training ends as of tomorrow. Go back and tell them the news. They are to be relocated three days from now. Have the guards remember to clean out the..."  
  
His voice droned on, but Kaiser wasn't listening. He held his head low with shame. What had he just done?  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Kaiser!"  
  
"Kaiser-sama! Welcome back!"  
  
"Kaiser! What did the old man have to say?"  
  
"Kaiser-sama, what's the word?"  
  
"Hey Kaiser, wha'd the gray beard want to know?"  
  
"Kaiser, we going back into training again?"  
  
"Kaiser!! It's good to see you!"  
  
"Kaiser! I missed you! What happened?"  
  
  
  
  
"Kaiser what do you mean by this?!"  
  
"Kaiser-sama! You can't be serious!"  
  
"No! No, You're lying Kaiser! You can't be telling the truth!"  
  
"K-Kaiser-sama... Tell us this isn't true."  
  
"Kaiser!! There's no way... Why would he?!"  
  
"Lies! LIES!! Kaiser, why?!  
  
"He can't!! He can't!! Kaiser, why didn't you say something?!  
  
"You're... you're leaving me?"  
  
  
You're...you're leaving me?  
  
  
  
...Yes...  
  
  
  
Kaiser... no...  
  
  
  
...I'm sorry...  
  
  
  
Kaiser, no! Please...  
  
  
  
...I'm so sorry Aisha...  
  
  
  
Kaiser, please!! Don't!! Don't let them!!  
  
  
  
...Forgive me...  
  
  
  
Kaiser!! They're coming!! They're coming to take us!! Please!! Please Kaiser help us!!!  
  
  
  
...Please forgive me...  
  
  
  
Kaiser, no!! Kaiser!! I don't want to leave you!! Kaiser, please!!! Please Kaiser!!! I don't want to leave you!!  
  
  
  
...I'm so very sorry...  
  
  
  
Kaiser!! Kaiser!! Please Kaiser!! I love you!!!  
  
  
Aisha...  
  
  
  
Kaiser, N-Nooo!!!  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The auctions were moving as scheduled. Lord Ghenna asked that Kaiser be present to see his previous charges off. He declined. He couldn't bear to watch those for whom he had come to care about sold like mere objects. In the end he found himself wandering the city not really knowing where he was going. His guilt clouded his sense of direction.  
  
What in God's name did he do? He could have tried harder. He could have begged Ghenna. He could have run off with them. He could have watched over them himself. He could have... He should have... He would have...  
  
  
Aisha... poor Aisha... In the end... In the end they had to tear her from Kaiser's arm and he'd done nothing to hold onto her. He'd only stood by and let them rip her from his body. She had been crying. She'd been weeping all over him. Weeping... He could still feel her tears. They were running down his arms, down his jacket...   
  
  
...down his face...   
  
  
She'd been weeping... sobbing... fighting the Gray Eyes will all her might. She held Kaiser with all the strength she had in her little frame.   
  
  
Inevitability...  
  
  
She'd been fighting inevitability. Crying and fighting inevitability. Fighting...  
  
  
Please Kaiser... I love you...  
  
  
Please Kaiser...  
  
  
Please Kaiser...  
  
  
Please...  
  
  
...I love you...  
  
  
His heart burned. He'd let her go. He'd let the only person in his life that made him feel good the way she did go. He let the dogs take her away.   
  
  
...I love you...  
  
  
He let the dogs... The dogs...  
  
  
...I love you...  
  
  
Deep in Kaiser's heart he had known what to say. He had known what he should have done. ...Yet he had ignored that little voice. That little voice that had known what the right thing to have done was. Now it had grown in volume. That little voice had become monstrous. It became massive. It echoed in the halls of his mind, filling every crack, every crevice in his heart. The voice boomed loud and Kaiser couldn't escape it. It and it was crying... It was crying...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Somehow he found himself wandering the dormitories for the young Gray Eye apprentices. When his mind came around he could find no explanation for being on this floor. Maybe he had tried to go up to the top floor where his room was but exited on the wrong floor.  
  
What was more important was what brought him around in the first place. Some one was crying. He checked himself and found, somewhat to his relief, that it wasn't himself. It was someone else. He walked down the hallway listening. Someone was weeping. As he walked the noise grew louder. It was coming from around the corner.  
  
He turned it and found a little boy leaning against the wall with his legs pulled up close to him. He was crying into his arms. Kaiser watched him a few moments. He could tell by the uniform the child was wearing that he was a Gray Eye apprentice. He couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old. Kaiser cocked his head wondering what had happened to him.  
  
He'd bent down beside him and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. With a jump the boy looked up and upon seeing Kaiser, the Arch-Bishop of all the Gray Eyed forces, moaned with horror.  
  
"Oh no... K-K-Kaiser, sir! Kaiser I-"  
  
The Arch-Bishop raised his hand and silenced the boy. He walked around and sat down beside him.  
  
"What seems to be the matter?" he said kindly, momentarily suppressing his own feelings. The boy looked at him wiping the tears from his face.  
  
"K-Kaiser, Sir?"  
  
Kaiser smiled. "You were crying. What happened?"  
  
"Kaiser, Sir, I'm not sure if-"  
  
He shook his head and placed his hand once more on the boy's shoulder. "No, you can tell me what's wrong. I want to listen. What's your name son?"  
  
"Hajima..." the boy said nervously. "Keinaro Hajima."  
  
"Keinaro, huh?" He said nodding. "That's a good strong name. A fine name indeed."  
  
The boy only sniffed back more tears and nodded humbly. He was talking to the very deity that all apprentices such as himself practically worshiped and adored.  
  
"What happened Keinaro? Why were you crying?"  
  
The boy looked back down to his folded arms and began to weep a bit once more.  
  
"One, one of my friends d-died today."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yuh-yeah. He was k-killed when an am-am-ammunition case exploded..."  
  
"Poor child..."  
  
"Yeah..." the boy swallowed and tried to continue. "Wuh-when I heard, I st-started to cry. All muh-my clan mates pointed and luh-laughed. They called me w-weak and s-said I was a little buh-baby."  
  
Kaiser nodded slowly as the child went on.  
  
"My instructor st-started to yell at me as well. He s-said that I wasn't fit at all to-to be a huh-hunter! He s-said they duh-don't allow buh-babies into the fleet! He sent muh-me out here."  
  
Kaiser nodded again. "I understand... You cared for this boy who died?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
He placed his hand on Keinaro's shoulder and squeezed. "Then you've done nothing wrong child."  
  
The boy looked up.  
  
"Everyone sheds tears. No one is exempt. It shows that you have a heart... that you have spirit. You're more of a man than any of your clan mates or even your instructor. You've already proven your self."  
  
Keinaro didn't know it, but Kaiser was speaking of Aisha. Someone who was so strong with so much will power and vitality and kindness had shed tears... tears couldn't possibly have been a sign of weakness. Kaiser was begining to come to realize that.  
  
"It takes more to be a warrior than strength or speed. You need to care about your squad mates and those who you serve with. If you care about them, and they care about you, you will succeed no matter what task is set against you. You will win no matter the price. That trust and bond that you will share will raise you above your enemies. Your team will never loose. Everyone has cried before, Keinaro. Even myself."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Yes! Even myself. I had a friend as well, a companion on the battlefield. He was the best man I've ever known. He'd have gladly given his life in combat for my own and I would have done the same for him. As a team we were the best. We cared for each other. We made sure that the both of us were always safe. He covered my ass and I his. He wasn't just my squad mate, he was my best friend. A companion above all else."  
  
"He died?" Keinaro asked, guessing the end of the tale.  
  
"Yes... One day we were being shelled and a stray mortar landed almost right on top of us. He saw it coming and got in between the explosive and I. It impacted and took a large chunk of flesh from his back. There was no medical support to be found- we'd been isolated from the rest of our group. I stayed with him for almost an hour, holding him in my arms. He lingered... and died.  
  
"I must have cried for hours afterwards. Even after the rest of my squad came in helped pull me clear I was still wailing and bawling. He was my best friend. He was my companion. We couldn't even bring his body back. We had to leave it behind.  
  
"Now that I looked back, I realized I wasn't crying because he died. I was crying because I would never see him again. He was gone from my life and would never come back. He'd lost his own life to save mine.  
  
"I've always remembered that. I've never forgotten, and I'm not ashamed of those tears. They weren't for me, Keinaro, they were for him. There's nothing greater for you to do for a fallen comrade than to cry for him and remember who he was. There's no shame in weeping over those you care about. You should never be afraid to cry for those you've lost. You honor them with your tears. You honor their name.  
  
"Your instructor had no right to say what he did. Who was he?"  
  
"Instructor Ryken."  
  
"Huh!" Kaiser scoffed. "Ryken's an idiot! He's a flaming, mongrel, idiot! Look where he is now! Well over 50 and only instructing apprentices. He's gotten real far in life. He knows what he's talking about, eh?" Kaiser smiled over to Keinaro. The boy sniffed and smiled back.  
  
"Don't you worry about what he says or what he does. I'll have a little chat with him later about this. Don't you worry. I want you to go back in there, and tell Ryken to stop by my dorm at 1900 hours. Tell him if he doesn't come, I'll have his head and his job title both removed."  
  
Keinaro smiled again.  
  
"Also, tell your clan mates you just finished talking with the Arch-Bishop. And that he's proud about what you did. I'll stop by tomorrow and talk with you all once I finish chewing your instructor a new asshole. All right?"  
  
Keinaro smiled and nodded.  
  
"Thank you Kaiser, sir."  
  
"You can dispense with 'sir' Keinaro. You're not a full Gray Eye yet. You still have your training to do. Just call me Kaiser."  
  
"Yes, Kaiser..."  
  
He watched as the boy sniffed a bit and rose. He saluted to the Arch-Bishop, and re-entered his dorm. As soon as the door closed the smile on Kaiser's face faded. The last he wept was when he'd lost his friend to the mortar fire...  
  
  
He found his way back to the elevator, and up to his dorm, and wept the rest of the night away.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
~One year later...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Kaiser-sama!"  
  
The tall Arch-Bishop looked up. "Yeah?"  
  
"Think I have what you've been looking for."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yes sir. It's the list you've been after."  
  
"It is?! Yes, excellent!!"  
  
"Yes sir! But... If you don't mind me asking..."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Why would you want to know where the homes of the Nobles who purchased objects at an auction over a year ago are?"  
  
"I lost some things in those auctions. I want them back."  
  
"H-hai, sir."  
  
"Thank you, Thank you! I've waited over a year for this! Who gave this to you?"  
  
"Well, I found it in the intelligence office. It was in one of their cabinets."  
  
"And you just took it?"  
  
"Y-yes sir."  
  
Kaiser broke out into laughter. "Good man! Good man indeed! No wonder I haven't been able to find this! They stashed it away in the intelligence office!"  
  
"Why couldn't you just get their addresses from the office of records?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The nobles who purchased those items, why didn't you just get their addresses from there?"  
  
"Because there are over three hundred thousand Nobles scattered through out the land. I need to know exact addresses of the nobles who bought the items. These... Seven? There's only seven on here. Where's the eighth one?"  
  
"Uh... I'm sorry sir. I that was all that I saw in there."  
  
"Only seven?" Kaiser counted the names on the list. "We're missing Jade... Jade isn't on here."  
  
"If you don't mind me saying sir, those are peculiar items listed at an auction. Those prices are ridiculous. Nine million wong for Limes, another seven million for a Tiger. Almost eleven million for some Bloodberries! Why one could go out into the city an PICK their own."  
  
"These aren't the real items, you fool! These are code names for what was really sold. They're for hiding what they really bought. Lets see here. Lime, Tiger, Panta, Bloodberry, Cherry, Rose and Luchs, but no Jade... Does that mean he kept her?"  
  
"E-excuse me sir?"  
  
"Huh? Oh nothing! Splendid job you did. I'm very impressed! I want you to go home and take the remaining week off. I wont be here in the office and I doubt you'll want to be either."  
  
"Th-Thank you Sir!"  
  
"Mmhmm. Now be gone you. I need to think..."  
  
"Thank you sir! Thank you very much!"  
  
  
A door closed and Kaiser sat back looking over what he had been given. Only seven were sold. That means Ghenna kept Jade... Jade... She was the one Lord Ghenna always excluded when he talked about the eight. Leska...  
  
"Why the hell would he keep Leska and not the others?" he thought to himself. Her psychic powers weren't that great. Sure she could read minds, and had the odd premonitions, but that was about it.  
  
'Well, No matter.' he thought. He would find out sooner or later. But first...  
  
Kaiser looked down the list. He'd given the code names to each one of the women. He'd given them with each one of their personalities in mind. It was Lord Ghenna who had instructed him to do so for the auction sales. Recording their real names on the auction sheet might have drawn questions.   
  
He looked down the list and smiled. He had someone to visit. Pulling out a pen he circled the top line. It read...  
  
  
'Lime', Sold: 9,350,000 Wong- Buyer: Nobleman Kisa Arrahs.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The nobleman Kisa Arrahs, or Kisa-ahss as some of his servants called him behind his back, lived in the heart of the Japoness Kingdom. Kaiser knew this man to be one of the biggest suck ups he'd ever seen in all his days. When Lord Ghenna was around, this man made more flattery than real conversation. Ghenna was usually unimpressed with his display but kept Kisa in power only because the sections ruled under him were some of the most profitable in all of the Kingdom.  
  
Kaiser visited his mansion first. He wanted to visit 'Lime' once more. It was easy enough making up a story that would gain him access to the girl. Kisa, of course, would be around, and they would have no private time, but Kaiser didn't care. He only wanted to see her, to make sure she was ok.   
  
Kisa's mansion was a very large building, dead center in the upper Japoness district. It was tall and white, with two or three stories to it. It was a symbol of the power and prestige given to him over the Japoness people.  
  
Kaiser came to the large double doors and paused. They were made of solid oak and massive in size with ornate figures and images carved into the fine wood. They were quite impressive. Kaiser raised his arm and knocked solidly on it three times. Almost immediately a servant came up and opened the massive thing.  
  
"Arch-Bishop Kaiser! This is indeed a pleasant surprise! Come in, come in. Lord Kisa will be with you in a moment."  
  
He walked in and looked around. It was typical a rich man's home. Kaiser was reminded of the homes of well to do British nobles in the ancient days on Terra. Lots of wood carvings a engravings, many paintings and statues and tapestries. Wood paneling on the floor and along the walls, massive wooden beam supports overhead and the odd chandelier or two.   
  
"Ahhh, Kaiser! Kaiser of the Bishops! Welcome, welcome!" A fat man waddled up. His eyes were thin and almost imperceptible on his fat, little head. He was dressed in a casual uniform befitting such a man in such a position in the heart of Japoness. He carried a little round fan that he used to constantly fan himself off. He was totally bald and seemed to always be sweating. It was almost like walking around was exercise in itself. But then again, considering the short man's very large size, such a statement might have been true. This was Nobleman Kisa.  
  
"What brings you here, to my humble home?"  
  
The Arch-Bishop grimaced every time the fat man spoke. He had a nasty habit of briefly hissing out his 'Esses' very shrilly.   
  
"I'm just checking upon all the royal noble men in this area. Mind you if I take seat with you and share a drink?"  
  
"It would be my honor, Bishop!"  
  
'It's ARCH-Bishop, you fat, fucking imbecile!!' Kaiser thought to himself. It took all his will power not to say it. Kaiser had a severe disliking to the little man.  
  
He was lead through the various rooms with various tapestries and various ornaments and various other odds and ends that the nobleman pack ratted away until he reached the large common room. There were many plush, velvet seats here and there lined with a very dark wood. The walls were a similar color, made of the exact same, dark wood. Wood had been carved into intricate pillars and columns stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Dominating the west wall was a massive, ornately carved fireplace. It had a small blaze going lighting the entire room. The floor was almost entirely covered in a wine-red plush carpet.   
  
'Tacky...' Kaiser thought to himself.  
  
"Impressive, no, Kaiser?"  
  
"Yes, sir Nobleman. This is indeed a fine job you have done here."  
  
"Oh, yes..." the fat man said chuckling, extending his arms, "I oversaw everything! Made sure everything was done just right. I even took over the carpenter's job once or twice to show them just how I wanted it done!"  
  
Kaiser only smiled.  
  
'Yeah, what ever... Where the hell are you keeping Aisha?'  
  
Kisa turned back to Kaiser and smiled once more. Kaiser could swear those eyes disappeared when all the fat on his forehead creased and wrinkled downwards in that grin.  
  
"So what brings you to my humble home?"  
  
Kaiser took a seat and explained. "I'm here to check up on a purchase you made over one year ago."  
  
"What? A purchase? I make many purchases."  
  
"Oh, this one was special. I know you still know... about her..."  
  
Kisa's smile faltered a moment. "You also know about her?"  
  
Kaiser nodded knowingly. "Indeed. I raised her."  
  
"You did!" His eyes disappeared yet again. "So you do know about her! And what a fine job you did! Such a strong and noble man as your self could only have known about the intricacies of proper child raising. Such a fine job indeed! You could have made a fine birth father, raising the young straight from the hatching chamber!"  
  
'That's it, I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU OLD MAN!!!'  
  
Kaiser only smiled nervously. He'd just been horribly insulted. Birth fathers were the tasks of the lower cast laborers or of those Gray Eyes deemed unfit either mentally or physically for combat.  
  
"I-indeed..." He said using every ounce of will power in his body to keep him self from lashing out and smacking the evil Humpty Dumpty. "D-do you mind if I see her?"  
  
"Of course you may, Kaiser! I think you will be pleasantly surprised. When she first came she was wild and rambunctious, but we've fixed that. She's much better now." He turned and called over his shoulder. "AISHAAA!!!"  
  
Slowly, a door that had escaped Kaiser's notice opened behind Kisa. A woman walked in wearing a long and brightly colored kimono. Kaiser's eyes went wide open. The woman moved slowly, robotically. He couldn't see her eyes for the fire that was behind her back. The shadows hid them. Her mouth was almost pencil thin and totally emotionless. With her hands clasped in front of her she knelt down beside Kisa and lowered her head.  
  
Kaiser was almost in shock. 'No... This couldn't be...'  
  
Kisa mistook the expression on Kaiser's face for amazement and smiled brightly. "Isn't it amazing! Such a transformation, huh? She's a good girl now. Most of the time. Sometimes she forgets and needs a lesson though. But you don't forget anymore, do you Aisha-chan?"  
  
"No, Lord Kisa." She said almost flat, almost monotone.   
  
"Now watch this, Kaiser!" He said giggling happily. He clapped his two hands together twice and wordlessly she rose. She walked over to a small table and picked up a tray containing a small pot and three cups on saucers. Kisa was fanning himself excitedly as he watched her work. Aisha wordlessly walked back to where the men were and set the tray down. She took the pot, automatically, and filled each one of the cups with some of the tea. Kaiser's mouth had become dry. She moved like a machine, like a robot, or some twisted marionette! He couldn't, no he wouldn't believe what his eyes were showing him. Taking one of the saucers with the cup on it, Aisha rose it up and handed in Kaiser's direction. Raising her head she met his eyes for the first time.  
  
"Would noble Kaiser like some tea?"  
  
Kaiser could not believe this... This wasn't happening! This was not Aisha!! This is NOT AISHA!!! Her eyes, her eyes... They betrayed everything to him. He saw in them something terrible. Kisa had managed to do the one thing Kaiser had been unable to do when he first took control of the group of women.   
  
  
He'd broken her.   
  
  
He hadn't just broken her, he'd crushed her and killed her. He'd destroyed her spirit. Kaiser didn't know how, he didn't know when, but he did. Kisa had broken the strong will that once existed in the woman. He'd extinguished the flames that Kaiser once saw in her eyes that day they fought when she would not lay down and accept defeat.  
  
Kaiser saw other things. He saw pain in those eyes. In those once beautiful eyes where he'd seen happiness and compassion now lay sorrow and misery. Shattered dreams... He saw shattered dreams in them as well... Kaiser fell back against his chair, his hand across his mouth in horror. One year... He'd been searching for her for one year and this is what he found... Aisha was dead...  
  
Her hand trembled uncontrollably as she tried to suppress her feelings. Deep down something told her this man meant a lot to her, but she wasn't allowed to think, was she? She wasn't allowed to remember the things before Kisa's entrance to her life. Her life began when she entered that doorway into this hell. Anything before that was forbidden to her thoughts and dreams. The cup still jittered on the plate. But this man... why was she feeling this way?   
  
Kisa looked over at Kaiser with a questioning look on his fat, ugly face.  
  
"Is something the matter Kaiser?"  
  
Kaiser only looked back into Aisha's soft, jade eyes with horror. It was like she didn't remember him. Like he'd been wiped clean from her memory.  
  
"What...What's wrong..." he began to stutter out. Kisa's grin became almost evil.  
  
"Ahh, my dear Kaiser, it is one of the greatest achievements man has ever created. It's called 'Mental Conditioning'. It's beauty and simplicity is incredible!"  
  
"W-what have you done to her?!"  
  
"Kaiser, Kaiser, calm down. She's perfectly fine. Look at her, so obedient, so precise in her actions. This is the result of the Mental Conditioning she agreed to."  
  
"She AGREED to this!?"  
  
Kisa made a low, sibilant chuckle. "Well not at first. She was rowdy and wild when I first received her. She wouldn't obey a single word I said. I had to constantly beat and whip her. She was especially disobedient in bed. I-"  
  
Kaiser's voice became slow and menacing. "...You took her to bed with you?"  
  
The Nobleman smiled. "Yes, indeed. It took me a month of striking her down, but eventually she consented." He looked up and a dreamy look filled his eyes. "Oh my word, after that first night she began to change. She began to become such a nice girl. I never had to beat her as much, I never had to yell quite so often..."  
  
'It's because you fucking RAPED HER!!!' Kaiser was about to explode. Kisa continued on blissfully unaware.  
  
"Ahh, but she was not perfect. She would still make mistakes and sometimes she would say the wrong thing. I had to beat her for this, but found that she began to bruise far too easily. I didn't like coupling with something that was all black and blue.   
  
"I thought I would simply have to put up with her like that for the rest of my days until I found out about the newest in mental conditioning technology. It was like a blessing from an angel to me. I found that it was possible to suppress her memories and tuck them away where she would never find them. Doing so would make her forget about her free and un-disciplined life before she came to me. It would make her complacent. It would make her obedient. It would make her perfect. Of course she would lose all memories of her friends and family beforehand, but that was a price I was willing to pay.  
  
"The only catch to this whole thing was she had to be willing to succumb to the conditioning. She had to be willing to give up her old memories. If she refused it wouldn't work."  
  
Kaiser was beginning to feel very, very sick. Never in his worst nightmares did he ever think someone would go this far with...  
  
Kisa chuckled once more. "She was, of course, originally against the whole idea. She even fought me once. I had to chain her up to keep her from hurting myself and all the others. Ohh, It took me many long nights and many hard days to convince her that submitting would be the best solutions. While I had to beat her and strike her down during the day, it was at night when I felt really made the most progress. It's amazing how she becomes at night when someone is coupling with her. Heh, heh after three or four rough times with her and many, many whippings and beatings she finally agreed."  
  
The nobleman sat back and took a sip of his tea. "It was funny, the technician who was doing the job said that in her last moments before he engaged the machinery she was calling out to you. Now it all makes more sense to me." And he broke out into a wild laughter.  
  
  
Kaiser was now physically ill. He swallowed shallowly and wiped his hand across his face. His eyes were locked onto what was left of Aisha. She still had the cup and dish extended outwards to him. He could see her shaking. He'd never, not in the worst of all his dreams, or the darkest of all his thoughts, did he ever imagine that someone would go so far with her. Kisa had wiped her mind clean. He'd erased who Aisha really was. He pushed the woman Kaiser had been seeking out for the past year so far into the depths of her own mind, she'd ceased to exist. The Nobleman, on top of all the evil he put her through, did the most destructive thing possible to her.  
  
Kaiser stared in wordless horror at the empty shell that was once Aisha. Was this it? Was this all she'd become? The woman who'd opened his eyes, the one human he'd truly begun to fall in love with, the strength and will that inspired him so... Was this all that they had become? Shattered and destroyed, humiliated and conquered?! Pushed and repressed to the point where she couldn't even recognize him? It couldn't be... It couldn't be...  
  
Aisha's hand began to jitter violently until suddenly she dropped the cup and saucer. The cup hit the plush carpet and spilled the tea all over the floor. The saucer landed on top, shattering them both. She turned her gaze quickly to the floor in horror.  
  
  
...Oh no...  
  
  
Kisa rose from his seat in rage.  
  
"AISHA!! What have you done?!" The fat man's fat face contorted in anger. New lines appeared as the skin folded. His eyes seemed to pop open. The fat man quickly turned from and ugly fat noble man, to a violent and frightening demon.  
  
"Aisha you idiot!!" He reached back and with one large swoop slapped Aisha with everything in him. She was thrown off balance and landed on her side.  
  
"Idiot woman! This is some of my best China! What do you think you are doing. You worthless whore! Pick this up now! Clean this mess up!! Pray you the tea doesn't stain my carpet! I'll give you a lesson you won't soon forget!!"  
  
"Yes Lord Kisa."  
  
Kaiser didn't move. He saw Aisha prop herself up on one arm, her face pointed to the ground. Two tears fell from her eyes and landed on the carpet. She was lucky Kisa didn't see them, he was too busy huffing and fanning himself off, but Kaiser did. He sat up. Did she just cry...  
  
"I apologize for my worthless purchase. She can't do anything right anymore. The damn thing can't even bear children! Sometimes I think she's was a waste of good money." Kaiser saw her gently picking up the shattered pieces of glass, her eyes and face back to the emotionless expression it had been when she first entered. His mind began to quickly turn. She just cried...  
  
Rising swiftly he turned. "Thank you for your time Nobleman Kisa."  
  
The fat man rose quickly and chased after him leaving Aisha alone to pick up the glass. "Wait Kaiser! You're leaving already? Oh dear... If you are going to go back to Lord Ghenna, tell him that I will be away on leave for the next two weeks! He won't be able to meet me here! Only my servants will be around!"  
  
"Will do." Kaiser said quickly opening the large front doors and leaving. His previous ill feeling had come back stronger than before. Wasting little time he ran into the nearest back alley and found a garbage can. He promptly heaved up everything that had been sitting in his stomach. Tears followed shortly after.  
  
  
Aisha...  
  
Aisha...  
  
  
But slowly... eventually... Kaiser did look up. ...She'd cried right? He saw it, those were tears... That mental conditioning couldn't have been as good as Kisa said it was. She was supposed to be a robotic doll, she was supposed to be devoid of any and all emotions. Kaiser swallowed the sour taste in his mouth and began to nod. Aisha was in there. She was still alive in that body. She was down there, but not as deep as Kisa counted on her being. It was all a matter of bringing her back up, of digging her free. She wasn't dead, just buried alive.  
  
He'd have to get to her once more. This time he'd have to get with her alone. A few minutes, that's all he'd need. He narrowed his eyes. He said...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
He said he'd be gone, didn't he?  
  
  
Kaiser stood once more at the doorway of the mansion. It was night out and the only illumination in the sky was the very large moon. It was a few days after he'd first come to visit. He'd waited a few days to make sure Kisa wouldn't be around. If the nobleman left when he said he was going to then he should have been a few days gone already; far enough away to guarantee that there wouldn't be any sudden appearances by him because he forgot something or other. He was not going to be there...  
  
  
At least Kaiser hoped so. He held something wrapped in clear celophane in his hands. Quickly, he tucked it away behind himself. Raising his hand once more he knocked. Here went nothing...  
  
At first he thought the entire house was empty. No one came to answer the door. He knocked once more and was greeted by the sound of a bolt being pulled on the other side. The door opened a crack and a servant peeked his head out.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said looking over Kaiser. "But Lord Kisa's not here right now. He's away on vacation."  
  
Kaiser sighed with relief. "It's ok. I'm not here to see him. I wish to speak with Aisha."  
  
The servant looked taken back. "Aisha? I'm sorry but Lord Kisa has ordered that no one is to see her-"  
  
"Yes I'm sure," Kaiser interrupted placing his hand on the door and his foot along its base. "But Lord Kisa isn't around right now, is he?"  
  
The servant backed off a bit. "N-no sir, but he still ordered that-"  
  
Kaiser leaned forward and brought his face right up against the servant's. "But I am telling you to let me in. Tell me now, who are you going to listen to, little man? That fat, pimple of a prick who's gone away on vacation or the Arch-Bishop of all the Mesopotamian hunter/killer forces breathing down your neck at this very moment?"   
  
The small man swallowed under Kaiser's glare and relented.  
  
"What ever you wish, M'lord!"  
  
Kaiser smiled. "Indeed."  
  
He pushed his way in and took a look around. "Where is she?"  
  
"Er... sir, up in the Lord's bedroom but-"  
  
"Take me there."  
  
"But Kaiser-sama! Lord Kisa commanded that-"  
  
Kaiser grabbed the servant and lifted him clear of the floor.  
  
"Ohdear! Ohdear! Ohdear! Ohdear!"  
  
"Don't you mention him again! Now take me to her!" He said almost yelling. "Now!!"  
  
He dropped the man and he hit the ground running. He led Kaiser up a steep set of staircases and down a small hall to a pair of massive double doors.  
  
"Don't bother us... for any reason. Got it?"  
  
"Y-yes sir, Mr. Kaiser sir!" the servant said ducking away. He had no intention of getting in the Arch-Bishop's way at all. Kaiser watched him go before turning to the door. He twisted the knob and found that it turned easily.   
  
  
Aisha... I'm coming...  
  
  
Taking a deep breath he opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Aisha was sitting in a corner when she heard the door knob turn.   
  
'He's back already?!' she thought to herself. She jumped to her feet and straightened her self out just as the door was opening. She was still somewhat sore from the severe beating Lord Kisa gave her. He blamed her for Kaiser's sudden running off. Afterwards... He... did what he always 'did' after he beat her... Every night... every time...  
  
As the door opened Aisha began to speak.   
  
"How was your vacation Lord...Ki... sa..."  
  
  
The fat man did not step through. Instead it was probably the last man she'd ever expected seeing.  
  
  
Kaiser looked over at her and immediately his eyes softened.  
  
"Aisha..."   
  
She stood by wordlessly. Who...why...  
  
He took a step forward. "Aisha, it's me! Aisha, It's me Kaiser!! Tell me you remember me! Tell me you know who I am!"  
  
Slowly her lips began to move.  
  
"Kai...ser..."  
  
"Yes!"   
  
He smiled and walked over to her taking her in his arms. "Aisha!!"  
  
She didn't move as he embraced her. She stood there like a doll, limp in his arms. Inside her, however, something was stirring. This man...why was he here... What...  
  
"Kaiser..."  
  
He noticed almost immediately she wasn't responding. Letting her go, he took her shoulders in his hands. He stared deep into her eyes. "Aisha! Aisha it's me! It's me Kaiser!! Please, Aisha! You know who I am! You know who I am!!"   
  
She gazed back into his soft gray eyes. Slowly, something in her began to open. Something began to break through. "...Kaiser?"  
  
"Yes, Aisha! It's me!"  
  
Blankly she stared back. Deep inside herself something was being let free. Something was opening up. Something was... Something was... no.  
  
  
Kaiser watched her eyes begin to light up. He saw a glimmer of understanding starting to shine through her numbness. For a moment he thought she would pull through. Kisa's conditioning couldn't possibly be stronger than their love! She was going to be all right! She was...  
  
But suddenly that glimmer vanished. Her eyes became flat and robotic once more. With shock, Kaiser watched her return to her old self. The spark extinguished itself.  
  
"Aisha?! Aisha!!" He gripped her arms tightly and shook her. "Aisha!! Aisha-chan!!!"  
  
The woman looked up at him. "Yes, noble Kaiser? What is it you require?"  
  
Kaiser stopped and stared back at her. His eyes became heavy and sad once more. "...Aisha..."  
  
Her blank eyes met his. "Yes, noble Kaiser?"  
  
He began to blink back tears. He'd been so close, he saw it. Something stirred in her. Something moved deep inside her mind...but...  
  
He gripped her arms tightly once more. Doing his best to hold back the tears that were rapidly forming he met her automatic gaze once more.  
  
"Aisha, Aisha PLEASE! Remember me!! Tell me you remember who I am! I know it's inside of you! I know you remember!!"  
  
He received a blank stare.  
  
"Aisha, remember dammit!! Remember who I am!! Kaiser!! Remember the runs we had? Remember the desert? Remember your sisters? Satomi!! Tell me you remember Satomi!! That woman! You KNOW her! She was the first person you ever met. Tell me you at least remember her!"  
  
She slowly spoke. "Sat...o...mi?"  
  
Kaiser nodded. "Yes! Yes Aisha! Satomi! Remember, her hair was purple, she wasn't very tall, but she was always kind and happy? Remember when you first met her you used food to lure her close and gain her trust?"  
  
"...Sat...omi..."  
  
He began to smile. "Yes Aisha! You know who she is! You remember her! Remember Nanaka and Krysta? I know you remember them! Remember Nanaka was always fast and Krysta was a lot like Satomi? I know you do! Remember Leska-chan? Remember-"  
  
Aisha smiled gently and spoke even more softly. "Why, noble Kaiser, what ever are you talking about?"  
  
Kaiser stopped in mid sentence.  
  
She didn't remember... She didn't even know whom he was talking about. He stared down at her empty gaze and felt his body start to shake. Tears began to come unbidden to him. She doesn't even remember who he is... He'd been wrong... Kisa really did kill Aisha... Kisa really did kill...  
  
  
He stopped holding back and collapsed onto her shoulder. Aisha was unmoving as the large man began to weep all over her. Kaiser buried his face into her body and let himself go. Aisha didn't even stir against to Kaiser's strong sobs. Her gaze was fixed straight ahead staring at nothing, still slightly smiling.  
  
Kaiser wrapped his strong arms around the woman and held her tightly. He couldn't do it... he couldn't save her. He couldn't bring her back. Kisa had so totally conquered the woman that what ever was left of her was buried far too deep for him to dig. The fat, little nobleman had destroyed Aisha. He'd destroyed her dreams, her life, who she was ...and what Kaiser and Aisha had once been. Kisa murdered Aisha, and Kaiser was powerless to bring her back.  
  
As his sobs wracked his body, the item in his back pocket slowly began to fall out. With a muffled crunch it landed on the floor, the cellophane opening. Kaiser didn't even notice he'd dropped them. He was crying far to hard to hear it hit the floor. Aisha, however, did. Slowly her gaze fell to the floor. Her flat eyes focused on the object. She cocked her head. It was a small bundle of flowers.  
  
  
Suddenly it struck her. They were... they were... they...  
  
  
All the conditioning Kisa had trained and forced upon her suddenly came loose in one massive torrent of memories. Everything that had been buried moments before exploded free from the depths of her mind. The force of everything almost staggered her. Her eyes suddenly became sharp; a light began to shine in them once more. Her body loosened and became far less stiff. Her mind, her life, came back to her in a single powerful moment. She stared at the flowers on the floor. They were... She turned to the man on her shoulder crying. He was... She turned and stared down the length of her body. She was...  
  
Lying on the floor in a crumpled heap were eight broken and slightly battered flowers. Their petals shone softly in the light of the room. They were clustered about a single tip and together made one beautiful bundle. A few pedals had been torn off, and many were hanging loose, broken off from the rest but Aisha immediately recognized what they were. Her breath caught in her throat.  
  
  
They were Lime Roses.  
  
  
Kaiser stopped weeping when he felt a pair of hands wrap themselves around his body. He looked back up at Aisha, surprised, and met her gaze once more. This time he saw, for the first time in a year, exactly what he had come back to regain. It was Aisha. Not the robot, not the creature made by Kisa, but the Aisha that Kaiser had come to fall in love with. The Aisha who had seven other sisters. The Aisha who had determination and spirit. The Aisha who loved Kaiser back. In shock Kaiser gazed back into her beautiful green eyes. She raised her hand and touched his face. Her lip began to quiver.  
  
"K...Kaiser?"  
  
He reached up and held her hand to his cheek and began to smile. His tears began to fall once more. "Aisha..."  
  
"Kaiser?!" Her eyes filled with the same tears of remembrance. "Is it you?"  
  
He let go of her hand and took her cheeks into his hands. "Aisha, of course it is!"  
  
"Kaiser?!" Her whole body began to shake. The Arch-Bishop held her gently in his hands.  
  
"Aisha!"   
  
"KAISER!!" She cried out and leapt forward and grabbed him as tightly as she could. "Kaiser! Kaiser! You came back to me! You came back to me..."   
  
He held her back as tightly as he could while she started to sob onto his shoulder.   
  
"I know..." He said letting the pearls of tears roll down his cheeks. "Oh my god, you're back! You're back Aisha!! I'd thought I lost you..."  
  
"Kaiser!!"  
  
He held her tightly in his arms. She remembered him. She remembered him!!   
  
Kaiser dropped his head close to her ear and whispered softly. "I love you Aisha...I'm so sorry..."  
  
This brought forth new tears as she held him tightly. "Kaiser..."  
  
They both fell to the floor and held each other. Neither side willing to let go 'less the other disappeared. For the first real time since she'd allowed herself to be broken by Kisa, Aisha let her heart pour itself out. Kaiser felt her hands dig and tear into his clothing. Nearly collapsing into his body she gripped him tightly. The tears that fell became more and more abundant. They started to fall like rain from her eyes landing on the Bishop holding her tightly. He could feel her beginning to sob harder and harder, louder and louder in his arms.  
  
It was one year. One long, terrible year. She'd been beaten, whipped, degraded, turned into an object, forced into acts which no living should ever have forced upon them, and worst of all made to give up her past; give up those memories which she used to keep her grip on sanity. She was forced to shed her sisters, she was forced to forget their home, she was forced to cast away Kaiser. Kisa had all but destroyed her. He took away everything she held dear.  
  
The year came up and out of Aisha hard. Kaiser did his best to hold her as tightly as he could. She gripped him back with all the force she could muster in her body. Her sobbing became more and more intense. She began to wail loudly. Her heart exploded outwards in a flood of tears and emotion. She was almost to the point screaming.  
  
  
Loud and full of pain, her voice echoed through out the entire house. The doorman, who was resting in his little bed trying his best to get over the scare Kaiser had given him, sat up. Aisha was almost screaming. She sounded like a wounded animal. What in god's name was going on up there? What was Kaiser doing to her? As her wails continued the servant shook his head. There was emotion in her cries. She never wept this loud or that hard when Lord Kisa struck her, nor this passionately. Her tears were conveying pain and sorrow... Master Kisa would not be happy to hear about this.  
  
  
Gently Kaiser rocked her back and forth trying his best to comfort the woman. He knew he had no idea what she went through. He knew he didn't have any idea the kind of hell she went through. What he did know was that he'd caused it. He'd been as much at fault as Kisa. He'd left her, abandoned her. As he held Aisha he realized he was the blame for all of this. It was his fault. His tears began fall more and more numerously.  
  
"Oh god Aisha!!" He said beginning to pour his heart out as well. "Oh god, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I never should have done that to you! I should have held you back from them!! I shouldn't have left you like I did! Oh god, forgive me! Oh god, please..."  
  
Long, long minutes passed as the two lovers held each other. Aisha's body wracked itself with her sobs. It was over a year, and her tears reflected the degree of pain and suffering she endured. She wept as loudly and as powerfully as she could against Kaiser for almost half an hour. For nearly thirty minutes she gripped the Arch-Bishop as tightly as she could, nearly tearing the clothes off his back. For nearly thirty minutes he held her letting her pour the despair and misery from her own little, bruised heart. Thirty minutes...  
  
When her tears finally began to recede she collapsed onto him. Physically and emotionally she felt exhausted. She needed to rest. Still gripping Kaiser as tightly as her hands and body would allow she closed her eyes. Kaiser could see her begin to relax slightly. The Arch-Bishop began to rub his hands up and down her back trying his best to comfort the woman.   
  
She knew that she had every right in the world to be angry with Kaiser. He left her to this life. He abandoned her. Something deep inside her was telling her to throw away this man, to cast this filth away from her life.  
  
Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up to meet his. Their twin portals met. Gray reflected in Jade and Jade into Gray. Despite the smile he softly gave her she could still see tears lined in his eyes. She could see regret shining in them. Shimmering along the edges of those soft, gray eyes she could see his pain and his sorrow. It hurt him to see her like this. It ate away at his very being to see Aisha suffering. His eyes betrayed his heart to her. Cast him away? Throw this garbage out from her life? Shed this man who'd left her rot in this hell?  
  
She could feel his hand slowly rub up and down her back. His touch was soft and gentle, his embrace was warm.   
  
"Kaiser..." she said softly.  
  
"...Aisha?"  
  
"Kaiser... promise me something. Promise me we'll leave this place. Promise me we'll escape this terrible land. Together, you and I, we can run from all of this."  
  
"And your sisters?"  
  
Aisha smiled weakly. "Yes, them too. Together, all of us, promise me you'll take us away from this. Promise me we'll all go, together, into a better life." She let go with one of her hands and reached up to gently touch Kaiser's cheek. He smiled softly at her touch. "Promise me Kaiser."  
  
He nodded slowly. "What ever it takes, what ever the sacrifice, I will take you away. We will run, Aisha. Together we will run only if you promise me one thing."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
He bent down and met her forehead to forehead. "Promise me you'll be happy from now on. Promise me you'll smile and laugh. Promise me Aisha..."  
  
He saw her eyes, for the first time in over a year, shine. With a single, gentle shake of her head she nodded. It was done.  
  
  
The year of pain and sorrow couldn't be mended and healed in the space of a single night, but for Aisha, the process of overcoming what had happened had already begun. The moment Kisa's conditioning shattered in her mind she'd begun to overcome what had happened. Now, as she sat in Kaiser's arms she began to feel peace. It might have been his touch or it might have been his gentle voice, but whatever the reason, she began to breathe easier. The future had just opened up for her. At the end of her tunnel she saw a light. She could see blue skies ahead of this long dark journey. Holding her was the only man who ever cared about who she was and what she was really like. Holding her in his arms was her future. Cast him away? Toss him out?   
  
  
Never.  
  
  
In one another's arms they savored each other. Nothing could have torn them apart in that moment. No force on all of Terra II could have pried the lovers from the other's embrace. The flood of emotions and tears held them closer together than any thing else on that night. Kaiser could feel the tears return to his eyes once more.  
  
"God Aisha, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry... Please forgive me. Please-" Aisha put one finger on his lips and stopped him. She shook her head and leaned forward against his body, starting to smile weakly.  
  
"I don't care Kaiser... You came back. You still came back for me. Now is all I care about. Right now..."  
  
"Aisha..."  
  
She looked back up at him and let the drops fall softly from her shining eyes.   
  
"Kaiser..."  
  
  
Slowly they brought their heads close together. Hesitantly, their lips brushed. A moment later they softly, for the first time, came together in a kiss. Aisha closed her eyes and gripped Kaiser once more. Kaiser, soon after, followed in suit. For the both of them everything seemed to melt away. The year of pain and tears melted away. The fat Nobleman Kisa melted away. The 'conditioning' melted away. Ghenna and all his empire melted away. Everything left them. For the first time in their entire lives, Aisha and Kaiser kissed. For the first time ever, their lives worries truly didn't matter. For the first time in over a year, they both were truly happy.  
  
  
The moonlight streamed slowly through the windows onto the bed. Kaiser smiled as he saw Aisha's prone form sleeping softly in the wonderful half light. Neither of them were wearing anything, neither of them had any need to. Aisha had long since lost her virginity to Kisa, but Kaiser couldn't have cared less. She was still perfect. Her entire body was perfect. He now knew what the old stories meant by the exquisite pleasure that women could give to their mates. They were true.  
  
But even after they had finished and Aisha had fallen asleep in his arms Kaiser lay awake holding her, looking at her. This was it. This was the person to whom he would dedicate his love. He could think of no better person. Aisha was perfect. She was simply perfect.  
  
He could see her smiling softly in the dark and Kaiser began to do the same himself. He reached over with his free hand and stroked her long, silky hair. It had been so long. All those days and nights of wondering where she went, who had taken her, what she was going through. They all drifted away as he sat there petting her soft hair.  
  
"Aisha..." He whispered softly. "Aisha...Aisha...Aisha..."  
  
Dear lord, he hoped the night would never end. He hoped this moment would never pass. He prayed they could stay like this for as long as they wanted. That time would stop for them and give them that moment forever. Softly as he called her name, Aisha awoke.  
  
She looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"Kaiser..."  
  
He smiled back. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"  
  
She leaned forward and kissed him. "If you say I'm sorry one more time I'm going to smack you." she said with a giggle.  
  
He grinned back and went back to stroking her hair.  
  
"Why aren't you asleep?" she said cozying up next to him.  
  
"I guess I was just thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
Kaiser smiled and kissed her again. "Nothing."  
  
Aisha smiled dreamily and yawned. "Kaiser..."  
  
Kaiser suddenly sat up. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot." He slowly stepped off the large bed and began to search along the floor. Aisha sat up and looked over at him. She smiled slightly as she watched his muscular form move its way across the room.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
A moment later he turned back around. "These..."  
  
Aisha smiled. They were the Lime Roses. He hopped back into the bed and handed them to her.   
  
"I could only find eight that were in bloom for you Aisha, I tried to get more but..."  
  
She shook her head and smiled almost dreamily. "Kaiser, I don't care... They're beautiful. They're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..."  
  
Kaiser smiled softly, his eyes bright. "Really?"  
  
She slipped out of the bed and Kaiser watched her disappear behind a bathroom door. She called out to him from behind it.   
  
"We'd better get them into some water, otherwise they'll die by morning." He heard some things being moved and clanked around. A moment later she came back out holding a large vase that had been kept in there for decoration. The flowers were placed inside. She stood there at the edge of the bed and held the vase out.  
  
"There, what do you think."  
  
Kaiser smiled and let his eyes wander up and down. "My goddess, you are exquisite..."  
  
Aisha looked confused for a moment, but realized that she wasn't wearing anything. She blushed and kicked the bed.  
  
"Kaiser..."  
  
He leaned back and began to laugh. "They look beautiful Aisha. They look perfect."  
  
"Good..." She said looking the vase over in her hands. He took the vase and walked over to a small table and placed the Lime Roses on top of it. The moonlight spilled over them and made them glitter. Aisha smiled.   
  
"Thank you Kaiser."  
  
She went back to bed and Kaiser resumed stroking her. She smiled peacefully and let him continue until her eyes finally closed and she was, once again, breathing softly. Kaiser's smile faded as he lay there watching her. Eventually morning would come. And then another. And the yet another. And eventually Kisa would come back...  
  
  
"No." Kaiser said softly. His expression hardened and determination filled his eyes. He remembered the look Aisha had given him when she first saw him that one day in Kisa's awful common room. Kaiser remembered the look of shattered dreams in her eyes; that look of her will, broken. That robotic, horrible look.  
  
"Never again..." he said softly. "I'll sooner die than ever let you be like that again. I'll never let him break you again. I'll kill him first. He'll never have your soul ever again. Never."  
  
Kaiser vowed to himself that night. No matter the cost, he would get Aisha and those seven other women away from the hell that they lived in now. He was going take them away and send them some place where Ghenna and his evils will never touch them. Some place far away...  
  
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Aisha once more.  
  
"I love you Aisha. I love you..."  
  
  
As he began to doze off, he started to hear music playing. Where it came from didn't matter to him. Maybe a man was playing it softly on the street corner down below, or maybe it rose from the depths of Kaiser's memories and echoed about his thoughts, or quite possibly it was because he was already half asleep; right at the point where reality and the dream world traveled hand in hand. Wherever they came from the notes were still soft and melodious and he smiled as he listened. His eyes grew heavy as the words flowed over him. They went like this...  
  
  
  
It must be your skin,  
I'm sinking in.  
Must be for real,  
'Cause now I can feel.  
  
I didn't mind.  
It's not my kind.  
It's not my time,  
To wonder why.  
  
Everything all white.  
Everything's gray.  
Now you're here,  
Now you're away.  
  
I don't want this,  
Remember that.  
I'll never forget,  
where you're at.  
  
Don't let the days go by!  
Glycerin...  
Glycerin...  
  
I'm never alone.  
I'm alone all the time.  
Are you at one,  
or do you lie?  
  
We live in a wheel,  
where everyone steals.  
And when we rise,  
it's like strawberry fields!  
  
If I treated you bad  
you bruised my face.  
Couldn't love you more,  
you've got a beautiful taste...  
  
Don't let the days go by,  
Could've been easier on you...  
I couldn't change though I wanted to.  
Should've been easier by three!  
Our old friend fear and you and me...  
  
Glycerine...  
Glycerine...  
  
Don't let the days go by...  
Glycerine...  
  
Don't let the days go by~!  
  
Glycerine!  
Glycerine!  
  
Oh, glycerine!  
Glycerine!  
  
Bad moon white again,  
Bad moon white again,  
As she falls around me.  
  
I needed you more,  
He wanted us less.  
Could not kiss,  
Just regress...  
  
It might just be,  
clear simple and plain...  
Well that's just fine!  
That's just one of my names!  
  
Don't let the days go by!  
Could've been easier on you!  
You!  
You...  
Glycerine!  
Glycerine!  
Glycerine!  
Glycerine...  
  
~Glycerine  
Bush  
Sixteen Stone  
  
  
  
  
And with that his eyes closed, reality fell away and Kaiser floated into a deep, deep sleep locked into the arms of his one true love. Slowly the night wore on.  
  
  
E-Mail to: The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com  
  
[To Be Continued.] 


	4. Satellite

Hey, It's the Dark Phoenix coming at you all once again with another continuation of 'Human' - A Saber Marionette J AU.  
  
In case any of you don't know, I am enlisted in the United States Navy. I ship for boot camp July 2nd 2002, [Note: It's October 12, I'm back and kicking ass!!] so right now I'm working on this Fan Fic at full steam. I want to finish up before I leave as to not leave those who are actively reading my ramblings hanging. Sorry Vik-man, Editing's a bitch, I know. Have fun...  
  
All questions, comments, and other nonsense can be mailed to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com  
  
  
Even though I have this insatiable urge to babble non-sensically to my heart's desire during these periods of random writing action, I feel that today's discussion time should be about the names I gave all the women in their early years and addressing a few concerns people have let me on about.  
  
  
[Warning: A white, American male (Southern Californian breed) is about to explain something. It is advised that all those who wish to retain sanity and logic now turn away.]  
  
  
The names given to each of the women in the original series were extensions of their programs and personalities gifted to their maiden circuits. Their names worked because their creator didn't really seem to regard them as human. Instead they were merely a way to get [Censored for all those who have not seen SMJ yet. All those who watched know what goes here.]  
  
However, a culture that is using them as the future for all of humanity would be much more intimate in their naming process. They would try and create what had been lost and make a suitable replacement. They weren't making machines with a purpose; they were re-making an entire aspect of a lifestyle lost hundreds of years ago. I figured they would give them more suitable names.   
  
Another thing I've been trying to do was create a sense of how ignorant these people really are of what women are. Me, being white, single and a virgin, really wouldn't know much about the more intimate aspects of how the mind of the fairer sex works. So instead of making a Jackass of myself and take wild guesses I decided to really focus on their physical nature; about how the other men saw women for the first time and immediately compared that to themselves. That and the older stories and fears I've tried to hint at as well.  
  
One more thing, some people seemed kinda disturbed at some of the references to homosexuality (OH MY GOD!!! THE "H" WORD!!! NOOOOOOOOO~) I've alluded to. #1, I am straight. I'm not 'in the closet', ;~; will some of you nut bags leave me alone! #2 (and more importantly) We're looking at a world where the only inhabitants are male. That means NO FEMALES! That means the only possible partners around would be male. Human instinct is still to bond, it can't be suppressed. It's logical to assume such things would be prominent in such a land as men...you know... bond... #3. HANAGATA IS ABOUT AS STRAIGHT AS A SPHERE!!! Quit whining peeps. My god men... I told you it was PG-13. Geeze...  
  
  
Anyway I'll quit my trip into boredom land and move on with the story. YAAAAY!!! [children cheer]  
  
[NOTE][NOTE][NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Aisha sat in a small chair looking into a mirror. In her hand she held a brush that she pulled gently through her long, blue hair. The sunlight filtered in through the lace curtains and streamed along the wooden floor causing small shadows and shapes to dance and twirl along its polished surface. Outside, the birds sang happily, swaying gently in the breeze. Two little Warblers rested on the branch of a small tree just out side the second story window and were twittering away as if nothing in the world was as it shouldn't be.  
  
Aisha smiled as she pulled the brush slowly through her hair. It felt so good. The ends of her mouth rose and her eyes seemed to shine. She was smiling. Aisha finally felt at peace. Her spirit seemed lifted that long morning while she was gently combing her long hair straight. Things were different. Things were going to change. Things were going to finish right where she sat and start right when the time was right. But the first thing she was going to do was sit there and smile. It just felt like just the right thing to do.  
  
She came across a small tangle and began to tug it loose. Kisa... Nobleman Kisa... The source of all the wretchedness in her life. The evil that kept her from everything, that hid her away from everyone. The one that had stolen her innocence; and soon after, of her emotion. He beat her. Not a day passed that he didn't. He'd warned her that whenever she smiled, she would be beaten. Whenever she cried, she would be kicked. Whenever she showed anger, she would be tortured. Whenever who she had once been showed through, he would take her... He would take her and take her to bed...   
  
She'd finally broken and succumbed to the man when she realized she had become nothing more than a source of pleasure. That she was destined to become nothing more than a doll, a cold and lifeless doll existing only to pleasure her master, the one who pulled all her strings, who held her leash tightly. That was his trick. That was what Kaiser did wrong when he first tried to break her. He beat her, and pummeled her and still she stood back up. But when someone turned the hand to a gentle caress, and used those fists in an opposite manner, with a more sinister intent behind it, her resolve broke. When pained turned to pleasure of the worst kind, her own guilt at having enjoyed those feelings, ate her up.   
  
With a grunt Aisha pulled the tangle free and began stroking again in earnest. But things were different now. He'd come back to her. Kaiser. The one who'd tried to break her resolve and crush her spirit. The one who'd changed and shown her the world after she showed him her true self. The one who made her happy...  
  
Happy.  
  
He laid in the bed and watched her. She moved with grace that enraptured Kaiser. Every stroke, every pull, every swish, he was in love. He looked at her face and saw her smiling and beamed himself. He loved that smile. She seemed content for the first time since he'd returned. Kaiser wanted to see her smile. He wanted to see her laugh. He'd seen enough tears fall from her eyes. He'd seen them all too many times.  
  
Kaiser's smile slowly began to fade. He'd seen far to many. Kisa... Kisa caused those tears. He'd forced her to cry and then beat her when she did. He reveled in her agony. He wanted a doll, a cold emotionless doll, and the best way to get that doll was by subjugating Aisha to bend to his will. He made her sad. He made her ashamed. He made her cry. And for that he would pay.  
  
Oh would he pay...  
  
Kaiser's eyes grew hard as he watched Aisha. She would never cry again.  
  
Never.   
  
He would never make her sad.  
  
Ever.  
  
This was his pormise to her. This was his sovereign word, and anyone who made her feel like that ever again would feel his wrath. God save the man who causes his love to shed another tear in sorrow. God save the repulsive creature. Kaiser'd beaten her before. He'd made her cry before. But he never made her sad, and for that he was glad. The wounds would heal, never to be inflicted again, and the tears would dry never to be shed again. But had he ever made her sad, Kaiser would have never been able to live with himself.  
  
Slowly he rose from his bed and walked over to her. Aisha looked up at him and gifted him with yet another one of her smiles. He knelt down by her side and took her in his arms. She stopped brushing and leaned against him. She could hear him breathing slowly. He was so strong, and yet was so gentle. He'd made her smile by holding her so tightly yet so softly. He made her happy by being whom he was and sometimes by being someone he was not.  
  
"Aisha."  
  
  
  
She giggled. "Kaiser."  
  
The morning wore on. The sun rose higher into the sky and the morning mist that had coated the streets faded away. Workers began to file along the streets, selling goods and carrying items. Children ran out to play and fathers went to their jobs. But the couple, still locked away in that one bedroom, stayed there, enjoying eachother's company. Enjoying the freshness of the new day. Enjoying the way the new life that both of them were about to lead was starting out.  
  
Things were going to change. People were going to die. Empires would break. Love would spring anew. Fate would change the course of time and all around the face of Terra II lives would be touched. The individuals who would spark the fall of the greatest empire ever seen on the face of Terra II spent that one morning cradled in each other's arms in front of a mirror simply enjoying one another.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Saber Marionette J   
Dark's A.U. - Human  
Eps. 4 - Satellite  
"My love will carry you to the stars"  
  
I let my dove go;  
I'll never see her again.  
The flowers have bloomed.  
  
~Haiku  
  
  
  
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~  
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~  
  
I wonder how clear it must look from there to here?   
No obstruction, this selfish corruption,  
All in this atmosphere!  
  
No fear, less tears, only time to catch my breath!  
I fail to inhale,  
Your love constricts my chest!   
  
Confusion blinded me, mental and physically...   
And it's because of you that now I can see...  
So now I can't run, I follow the sun and ride on to Zion   
And dance this last song of freedom!   
  
But only time will tell, if it's truly for real.   
Can't change your mind, all I know this is what I feel...   
Whether I'm wrong or right, please keep my life in sight,   
And never take you eyes off me!!  
  
As I look up to the sky today,  
Well, I can see you looking down on me!  
It brings a smile to my face again...  
S-S-S-Satellite!  
  
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~  
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~  
  
It's truly one of a kind, like starshine, beyond nighttime, are you there?  
My eyes stare to find, just what's behind this blind notion of mine, is it genuine,  
Cause sometimes, it plays tricks with my mind, some call it asinine...  
  
But it's like love or hate, now is that real or fake?   
Cause it's a real thin line, but that's your choice to make!  
The question at hand, help me understand, is this your plan?   
I think I can, can I think, then I think I can...  
  
Because I won't break...  
(nah)   
and I won't shake...  
(nah)   
With lifted hands to this woman...   
(Jah),   
I'll stand in faith...  
I'll make it through, my trust in you!   
Close my eyes, make a wish, kiss the sky...  
Hey there? -I see you!!  
  
  
...Satellite, satellite...   
...my guiding light, guiding light...  
...Shining bright, shining bright...  
...the guiding light...  
  
S-S-S-Satellite!!  
  
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~  
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~  
  
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~  
(When I look up to the sky today, I can feel you looking down on me!!!)  
  
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~  
(It brings a smile to my face again!!! Satellite!!!)  
  
...Satellite, satellite...   
...my guiding light, guiding light...  
...Shining bright, shining bright...  
...the guiding light, guiding light...  
  
...Satellite, satellite...  
(As I look up into the sky today...)  
...my guiding light, guiding light...  
(It brings a smile to my face again...)  
...Shining bright, shining bright...  
...the guiding light, guiding light...  
  
It's truly... One of a kind, like starshine, beyond nighttime, are you there?  
  
...Are you there?  
  
...Are you there?  
  
  
~Satellite  
P.O.D.  
  
  
Questions, comments, flames for my barbecue can be sent to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
"Kaiser-sama... What you are asking of me... I, I..."  
  
"I understand how you feel Nansa, but I am not lying to you. We need your help."  
  
  
Kaiser was seated at a low table. The room that he was sitting in had a distinct Japanese feel, like he was sitting in the middle of a dojo. The walls were lined with various bokken, jutte and the odd nunchaku. Along the wall directly in front of Kaiser were a pair of Tonfas and an old Yumi. The bamboo had been polished and smoothed allowing it to shimmer in the light while the string (which looked to be no more than silk and pine resin) had been carefully cut and strung so that each individual hair caught the light. There was one small door that had been slid partially open to let in the fresh air and some sunlight. The table was bare with the exception of one small bottle of drink and several smaller bowls. Kaiser picked up the bottle and filled his small bowl with some of the liquid from the bottle. Placing it down, he took a sip.  
  
Seated across from him was a younger man wearing (what Kaiser identified as) a kimono of some sort. It was gray with dark shades of blue along the arms and down the pants. The younger man constantly barked at him for calling it that, but frankly Kaiser never paid much attention and never really picked up it's true name [Author's note: Me as well...]. His hair was totally black and tied into a short ponytail. He wore a small pair of spectacles that rested solely on the bridge of his nose in front of his thin, gray eyes. He was a retired Gray Eye vet specializing in a combat sensor.   
  
  
Behind him sat Satomi.  
  
  
"Kaiser, You're one of by best friends. We've known each other since our days in apprentice training. But what you're asking me..."  
  
Kaiser nodded slowly. "The only reason I am asking you, is because you are my friend. There are only nine people on this world that I trust. The eight I told you about and yourself."  
  
"Why do you want her so badly? I understand you trained her at birth but there has got to be more behind this than what you are telling me."  
  
Kaiser smiled. "Yes, there is."  
  
"Tell me then. What do you plan to do?"  
  
"I'm taking her away. I'm taking all of them away. Someplace where they will be safe from Lord Ghenna."  
  
"Lord Ghenna? Why do they need to be protected from him?"  
  
"Just because! I'll tell a little later."  
  
Nansa scoffed. "Ok...You're going to get all the other noblemen to release their women to your care because you ask them to and for no other reason than to protect them from our Lord?"  
  
"No." Kaiser shook his head. "I'm not going to ask the others, I'm going to steal them away from them. They won't even know they will be missing until the morning and by then their girls will be long gone."  
  
Nansa sat there with his chin resting on his hand looking at Kaiser with slightly surprised eyes. "But not me..."  
  
"You're my friend Nansa. I'd never do anything like that to you. That's why I'm asking you."  
  
Nansa still shook his head. Kaiser leaned forward and placed the palms of his hands flat on the table.   
  
"Nansa you don't know the lives these women have been living. Satomi was fortunate. She had you as a master. The others... The others, their LIVES, Nansa, their pride, their dignity, everything about them has been stripped away. They have been reduced to sacks of flesh whose sole purpose is to pleasure their masters. You remember Aisha, right?"  
  
"Yes," he said nodding. "She was the one you fell in love with."  
  
"Yes! Do you know what it was like when I found her? Kisa purchased her."  
  
"Ugh, that repulsive little pimple."  
  
"Indeed! Do you know what he did to her? He broke her."  
  
Behind Nansa, Satomi looked up.   
  
  
'What...'   
  
  
Kaiser turned to her as he spoke.  
  
"He broke her. That pride that kept her on her feet, that determination that empowered her he'd destroyed. He crushed her will! She was like a robot when I found her. She wasn't allowed to smile, she wasn't allowed to speak unless ordered, a show of emotions would get her beaten, mistakes would gain her a horrible night alone with that fat little shit as he made her do, do..." Kaiser trailed off and shook his head.   
  
"He stripped her of her humanity. She became nothing more than a pleasure slave. She was a puppet. A marionette. Kisa would clap his fat little hands and Aisha would dance for him... Turning and twirling to his own little sadistic music. He was the puppeteer- pulling her strings, twisting her mind and shattering her dreams. The Aisha I knew died."  
  
Satomi shook her head in horror. "No... no, that can't be true. She was the strongest out of all of us. Not even you could break her!"  
  
"Kisa did something to her that I avoided. I believe when he stripped her of her pride and dignity and eventually her virginity she fell into despair. She was alone for the first time in her life. Before she had you seven to give her strength. She had you guys there to make her happy, and comfort her when things went wrong. But with Kisa she had truly been alone. She'd truly been isolated for the first time.  
  
"And even worse she wasn't allowed to let it show, or to release it. I think she kept it all within herself and it began to build up until it shattered what little resolve she had left. That was the difference Satomi. I always kept you guys together. I never... never touched her in that way before. I was too disgusted by you eight. ...But Kisa wasn't afraid. He knew exactly what he was doing."  
  
Kaiser fell silent as he leaned forward and cupped his face in his hands. Nansa took a sip of his drink from the little bowl.  
  
"I see..."  
  
Satomi shuffled forward and bend close to Kaiser.  
  
"Kaiser-sama?"  
  
Slowly he slid his head up and met her eyes. "Yeah?"  
  
"Where is Aisha now? You didn't leave her alone with that terrible man, did you?"  
  
Kaiser smiled and shook his head. "No... I'm never going to leave her alone with that bastard ever again. He's gone for the rest of this week. I finished visiting her about five days ago."  
  
"You went to see her?"  
  
Kaiser chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I went late last Monday night."  
  
Nansa smiled mischievously. "And you left only a few days ago?"  
  
Kaiser broke out laughing. "Yes, Nansa. I see where you're headed."  
  
"And?" he said leaning forward with a light in his eyes.  
  
"Oh my god, Nansa. Even as a Nobleman, you're still nosy as hell." Kaiser was starting to blush a bit.  
  
"Indeed Kaiser, but come on, you can tell me."  
  
"Tell you what?"  
  
"Was she any good?"  
  
Satomi sat up in shock. "Lord Nansa!!" Pulling out a small fan she swatted him across the back of his head. Bringing the fan high up once more she began beating him repeatedly with the little wooden wind blower. Nansa fell over laughing trying his best (and failing) to bat Satomi away. Kaiser leaned back and laughed uproariously.   
  
"Nansa, you fool!" he cried out through some tears. "Hit him harder for me Satomi! Give him something to really think about!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
When everyone calmed down Kaiser wiped away a few last tears and shook his head.  
  
"Satomi-chan," he said with a smile, "You've picked up some weird character traits since I've last seen you."  
  
She blushed and stared into her lap. "Kaiser-sama! You're embarrassing me..."  
  
Nansa rubbed the back of his head. "Good. That hurt, you little devil."  
  
Kaiser laughed again and poured himself a little drink. "Satomi-chan, could I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course Kaiser-sama."  
  
"I wanted to know, this past year, have you been happy living here?"  
  
Satomi turned her head back downward and blushed a little bit more. "Yes, yes I have. I still miss my sisters, but Lord Nansa has been most kind to me." She looked up at him and smiled shyly. "He's done so much for me, he's taught me many things."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Hmm, cooking. I've learned how to cook for the first time in my life. I've found I can make wonderful meals. It makes me proud that I can create such things that makes my lord smile."  
  
Nansa coughed nervously into his small bowl. Satomi continued.  
  
"He's also helped me learn about how to wash clothing and straightening up his home and keeping it clean..."  
  
Kaiser cocked an eye over at Nansa who was 'conveniently' turning away to stare at some of the weapons on the wall.  
  
"Well done, Nansa. You got such a happy little maid here, huh?"  
  
Satomi stopped when Nansa coughed nervously.  
  
"Well, one day she asked me if there was anything she could do to help me out here and I thought 'Well, maybe she can do a little laundry or...' " He trailed off.  
  
"Is something the matter Kaiser-sama?"  
  
Kaiser smiled and chuckled. "No, Satomi. Just so long as you are happy."  
  
There was a moment of silence as Kaiser filled his bowl once more. Nansa's mood began to turn. He sat up and began to frown.   
  
"Satomi..." He said, his tone decisively gloomier. "I believe we are out of drink. Would you please go out and pick up a bottle or two for us down at the market?"  
  
She cocked her head curiously. "What? I'm sure we had four or five more bottles down in the storage area."  
  
"Please, Satomi..." he said a little more sternly. "Just go and purchase a few more bottles." He gazed solemnly at Kaiser. "I have a feeling I am going to need them later on..."  
  
"All right Lord Nansa..." she said becoming slightly worried. His mood had suddenly taken a very dramatic turn. "I will go get my mask and robe."  
  
Kaiser looked up at her. "Mask and robe?"  
  
"She can't walk around out there like a woman," Nansa replied. "We have to keep her a secret. She wears a mask and robe and poses like an old man when ever I send her out on an errand."  
  
With that he shooed her off.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
After she left Nansa turned to Kaiser.   
  
"All right friend..." He said slowly. "I want you to understand something. I care very much for Satomi. She's been kind to me this past year. You're asking me to simply give her up to an uncertain fate and into your hands for even more elusive reasons?"  
  
"Nansa, please understand-"  
  
He rose his hand and silenced Kaiser.  
  
"I understand perfectly Kaiser. I understand that you have this cockeyed idea about sending these women to some deserted island and letting them live their own little lives out happily cut off from everybody. Keep them safe from Lord Ghenna and this world. I can DO that Kaiser! Satomi can be safe and happy HERE! In MY home! I can hide her from the world just as much as you would be able to!"  
  
"Nansa!" Kaiser said dropping the tone of his voice. His face became stern. "You don't understand anything!" His friend went silent for a moment allowing Kaiser to continue. "You know why you were given Satomi. It's because she was considered infertile. She will not bear children! They said she was sterile. She was a broken device in Ghenna's eyes!"  
  
"But not in my own!"  
  
"I know that Nansa! I understand that! I feel the same way about Aisha. But there is something that Ghenna doesn't know about. Something that he missed. Something very important. That's why I want to hide them away from him"  
  
Nansa went silent once more.  
  
"Almost eleven months ago I was called to have a meeting with Lord Faust. You know who he is; He's the leader of the Gartlant Kingdom. He's a clone of one of the original six who's requested to have his memories transferred from clone to clone so that he could continue living. He remembers Earth better than any one else on Terra II.  
  
"During that meeting I was to discuss the future of Gartlant and how the Gray Forces would be involved in such. It was really a worthless mission. Faust and I decided three minutes into it that for the next year things will stay as they have this past one. We swiftly concluded the business portion of the meeting afterward, but rather than leave he invited me into his study and we shared a drink. We discussed many things. He's actually a very wise man. He seemed to know more about everything than Lord Ghenna. I really enjoyed sitting and talking with him.  
  
"To cut a long story short I brought up the subject of Eve. He wasn't alive when she had lived but still knew a great deal about her. We talked about her life and the accomplishments she blessed the world with and moved on to cloning. It was there I learned something that Ghenna was ignorant to.  
  
"Lord Faust told me about the earliest cloning experiments done on Earth before they were banned. They learned about making clones in the adult form much the same way we did almost four years ago. They were able to imprint memories into them as well. But the practice of making men and women instead of children was halted for a very strange reason.   
  
"Unlike us, when they imprinted memories of basic skills and other rudimentary tasks they also imprinted knowledge. I don't mean knowledge like in the sense of how to talk, I mean knowledge in the sense of algebra, and trigonometry and geography and history. It was to make the clones that were born up to date with another man whose body was in the same age range but was birthed the regular way. However there was a problem. The clones could talk and communicate and perform the rudimentary memories well enough but when it came to doing the advanced knowledge they seemed to break down.   
  
"It was odd. They could tell you Pythagorean's Theorem word for word with the greatest of ease whenever you mentioned it, but when you asked him to put that information to practice and solve a problem it would look at it like it was written in Greek. Same with geography. It could tell you everything it had in its head about the longest river on the face of Earth, but when you asked it what it was it would have no idea.  
  
"The information was stored up there, but it made no sense to them. They didn't know how to utilize it. It's like memorizing an advanced equation for something you've never seen before. Once you got it memorized you are then asked to solve a problem using it. Well, even though you remember what the equation is you still don't grasp the concept of what it means and how to apply it. The info was up there, but none of them knew how to use it. Shortly after this discovery they ceased male and female adult cloning."  
  
Nansa shook his head. "Ok, but what does this have to do with Satomi?"  
  
"I'm getting there." Kaiser said taking a long sip. "After he explained all that to me I mentioned that the fact that they cloned sterile was probably another reason. He sat up asked me what I meant. I told him how we tried cloning men ourselves but stopped and destroyed the clones when we found them to be sterile. Lord Faust frowned and said there was something wrong with our clones. He then related to me something amazing. The other adult clones, when they were first created, too seemed to be sterile. They were born that way, same as Satomi. But as the years began to progress things started to change."  
  
Kaiser leaned forward. "A child born naturally or even cloned takes any where from nine to sixteen years to reach sexual maturity depending on the gender and the individual. This was because the body has a natural clock that counts down 'till when it is supposed to start to mature. This is true in any and all clones ever made."  
  
He began to whisper. "The adults were no different! Nine to sixteen years after they were hatched they too started to become sexually mature. It wasn't because they were born as adults that they were sterile, it was because their natural clocks STARTED when they were born, born as adults.  
  
"The eight women that were born four years ago are no different. Nansa, there is nothing wrong with them. They are just as capable of being sexually mature as much as anyone else on this planet, their time just hasn't come! It's like expecting a four year old boy to be able to submit seed to the gene pool."  
  
Nansa sat stunned. Could it be true... Kaiser continued.  
  
"Someday they will be able to bear children, Nansa. Those children will be the first naturally born beings on Terra II EVER! Five years from now. The earliest one will be able to bear a child will be in five years."  
  
Kaiser took his friend by the collar of his 'kimono' and pulled him forward. "What do you think Ghenna will do once he finds out you own a sexually mature woman? One that will be able to bear children?!  
  
Nansa shook his head in shock. "Kaiser...You are kidding, no? I can't believe it... My Satomi... She will be able to bear a child someday!" He shook his head and pulled himself free from Kaiser's grasp.  
  
"Why doesn't Ghenna know about this? How did he miss this little tidbit of information?"  
  
"I guess he was never told. Most records of Earth history were destroyed in the damaged data core. I guess Faust never got around to telling Ghenna about it."  
  
"Lord Faust doesn't know about these women?"  
  
"No." Kaiser shook his head. "There are only a few scientists, some guards and Lord Ghenna himself."  
  
Nansa shook his head in amazement once more. "My Satomi! Some day she will be able to bear a child! A real child!!"  
  
Kaiser was about to grab hold of his friend and remind him once more of what Lord Ghenna would do to once he found out when they heard a crash. They turned and saw Satomi standing in the half open doorway with a look of shock on her face. She was standing in the remains of what used to be a mask of a very old man. Nansa shot up.  
  
"Satomi! What are you doing here?!"  
  
Slowly her mouth moved and a few meek words tumbled out.  
  
"I...the money...I, forgot it here and...and...."  
  
Kaiser could see tears welling in her eyes. In a flash Nansa was on her and pressed her close to him with his arms. She broke down almost as soon as he touched her. He held her tightly and escorted her back to the table where they both sat. Kaiser sat by silently letting Nansa comfort the little woman. The Arch-Bishop poured himself a little bowl of the drink, thought the better of it, and began to drink straight from the bottle.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Eventually Satomi calmed herself down and was sitting silently once more at the table. They learned that she left and had forgotten the money. When she came back at around the time Kaiser was explaining the problems with the process of imprinting knowledge on adult clones, Satomi had stood by the door silently and decided to eavesdrop when she heard Nansa asking what she had to do with anything.  
  
Kaiser sat there rubbing his face. What a mess... Nansa put his arm around Satomi and smiled to her.  
  
"Satomi, isn't this great news? You can bear a real child someday!"  
  
She looked up at him with sorrowful eyes and shook her head. "Lord Nansa... You don't understand, do you?"  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What don't I understand? This is great news! One day you can be a mother!"  
  
Kaiser sighed. "That's what's wrong, Nansa."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at Kaiser. "Why?"  
  
"What do you think Lord Ghenna will do once he finds out that he sold seven perfectly fertile females to his nobles? He's going to get them back. If not by persuasion, then by force. He will take Satomi away from you, Nansa. He will steal her away and force her to bear young! I can tell you right now if you think what happened to Aisha was bad wait until you see what he's going to do to Satomi when he steals her away."  
  
Nansa shook his head. "No, no way. Lord Ghenna would never do that! He wouldn't take her AWAY, would he?"  
  
"For the sake of Satomi you had better believe it! You will lose her, Nansa! That's why I am taking them all and sending them away. I'll send them where Ghenna will never be able to find them!"  
  
"Kaiser don't be a fool!" Nansa was becoming very distressed. "Even if you were able to hide them from Ghenna, how long do you think it will take him to find them again?! He has every surface of this planet mapped and under his control! Even IF you DID find an underground cave system are you to tell me that living blind in the dark is seriously a better alternative to-"  
  
Kaiser raised his hand. "No, Nansa. It's not going to be a matter of WHERE I send them. It's going to be a matter of WHEN."  
  
Simultaneously Satomi and Nansa sat up.  
  
"One more time..." He said slowly.  
  
"Like you said, Nansa, There is no where on the face of this planet where they can hide. But that still is a very large area for Ghenna to search thoroughly. It would take him years to scan every last crack and crevice well enough to determine that they are no longer there. But I plan to do something that would compound that problem one hundred fold. I will send them through time."  
  
Kaiser's friend sat there a moment looking at him dumbfounded.   
  
"You're joking, right?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Satomi leaned forward put her hand on Kaiser's. "Kaiser-sama... How do you plan on doing this?"  
  
Kaiser took her hand into his and squeezed gently. "You three were born and created in a lab out in the Deserts of Middle Terra. About sixty miles from that facility is the only rocket shot in all of Terra II."  
  
"Rocket what?" she asked.  
  
"Rocket shot. It's like a long rail out in the desert that slopes upwards into the sky. A transport ship engages its liquid fuel boosters and shoots down this rail. They hit the curve and suddenly find themselves blasting up that vertical slope and into the sky. The ships engage their solid fuel and burn their way straight to the stars. That whole device that flings the ships into the sky is called the Rocket Shot because that's what it does. It shoots rockets into the sky."  
  
"Why would someone want to do that?"  
  
The Arch-Bishop smiled. "Because Satomi, up amongst the stars are the only time labs in all of Terra II. Inside those labs you will fling yourselves into the future and to freedom."  
  
Nansa sighed. "You are kidding me Kaiser..."  
  
He shook his head. "It's the best thing for us to do. It's the best chance they have of escaping Ghenna."  
  
"There's... No, there's got to be a better... KAISER HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! Both, mind you, BOTH the Rocket Shot AND the test labs are MILITARY CONTROLLED INSTALLATIONS!! Even if you MAKE IT to the test labs, WHO would know how to run the time equipment? Huh?! The science team! Do you really think they are going to cooperate? You're going to fly up there and have no where to go! Who's going to run those machines?"  
  
"The same one who's going to fly the rocket."  
  
They fell silent for a moment. Satomi was still confused as to what was up there. They were talking so much about time and laboratories she was getting a headache. Now, it seemed, Kaiser was talking about flying a 'rocket'... She groaned and leaned against Nansa. What was happening?  
  
The nobleman leaned forward and folded his hands. His voice became sarcastically calm. "You're going to get a rocket pilot to work the delicate machinery used to send human beings through time streams?"  
  
Kaiser chuckled. "Something like that. I have a particular someone in mind."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"A psychic."  
  
  
Nansa slowly reached up and rubbed his eyes. "Kaiser. You're telling me that you are going to use a psychic to pilot a rocket and operate time slips that will send my Satomi to safety away from Ghenna."  
  
Kaiser nodded. "That's about the gist of it."  
  
"Get out of my house Kaiser."  
  
"Lord Nansa!!"  
  
Kaiser leaned back and began laughing once more. Nansa looked up physically quivering. He was becoming very angry. Kaiser was talking about the life of one of the most important people in Nansa's world as if it were some sort of joke. The retired Gray Eye was not laughing. Bursting to his feet he swiped his arm through the air and began to yell.  
  
"You think this is funny Kaiser?! Is this some kind of joke to you!? You're talking about Satomi's LIFE here!! What reason do you have to laugh?!"  
  
Kaiser just let the chuckles roll on out and wiped his eyes. "Nansa, it's just the way you worded it. I never thought about it that way."  
  
"How were you 'thinking about it'!?"  
  
Kaiser leaned forward and finished up laughing as best he could.  
  
"Remember when I said that eight were made, but only seven sold?"  
  
Nansa narrowed his eyes and sat down once more. He felt like throttling his friend but decided to curb his anger for a moment.  
  
"...Yes..."  
  
"Well that eighth one was a black operation. She was born special from the rest." Kaiser turned to Satomi and smiled. "Remember who she was?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before they shot back wide open.  
  
"You don't mean Leska-chan, do you?!"  
  
Kaiser nodded. "She was a natural born psychic. I'm not talking about all those tarot card readers either. I mean a real, live, honest to god, psycho-kinesis bearing goddess. She never really knew what it was until we confronted her about it. You see, she would often times look at people and memories or visions or thoughts the person would carry floated into her mind. She could read their thoughts. She didn't really know what to make of it until we started training her to hone in her power and energy.   
  
"It's really quite fascinating to watch her. She can now read minds, search out thoughts and memories, throw switches across rooms, even run multiple machines in a singe area at the same time. It was incredible to watch a surveillance video of her knowing when her guard was coming to her cell knocking him out, reading his mind and learning not only all the pass codes to the doors but how to use, operate and maintain weapons, what was located on each floor of the lab and who was staffed there and even how to fly the I-GEA 9 located on the roof of the building."  
  
Nansa raised his hand. "Wait a second Kaiser. I thought you said people who had knowledge implanted into their minds retained the information but had no idea what it meant? Isn't she implanting others thoughts into her head just like them?"  
  
"Leska-chan is different. The way I told you was artificial. Those thoughts were put in there unnaturally. Leska uses her own body to pull information and store it and with that information comes the experience and the know how. She could read the mind of a pilot, pilot the rocket into space, read the minds of a few science team members and operate the equipment and send everyone safely to their destinies. Then she clears the data of where everyone went and escapes herself."  
  
Kaiser leaned back and took a quaffed some of the drink in the bottle. "She's our key player. We can do this with her."  
  
Satomi reached out and put her hand on his. "Kaiser, you still haven't answered my question."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Why would anyone want to shoot themselves into the sky? I don't understand what is up there."  
  
"Huh? You don't?"  
  
Nansa slumped as he took over. "Up there, up in the sky, is a massive orbital station. It hovers in space free from the gravity of Terrra II. Up there they have machines that can send people into tomorrow."  
  
"What?" Satomi furrowed her eyebrows. "Tomorrow? Why can't they just wait?"  
  
"No, Satomi." Kaiser took her shoulder into his hand. "When he said tomorrow he meant the future. He meant far into the future. A great many days into tomorrow. Hundreds or years, Satomi, much longer than any person can live."  
  
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "I see... But that means..."  
  
Nansa nodded. "You and I will be apart forever..."  
  
Her eyes went wide as understanding and shock came to them. She reached out and gripped Kaiser's arm. "Kaiser! Wait! Why..."  
  
"Because when Lord Ghenna finds out you eight are fertile he's going to take you back..."  
  
Tears began to well up in her eyes once again. "But do we have to leave so early? Why can't we wait? We still have years left until Ghenna can find out!"  
  
Kaiser folded his hands. His eyes became sad as he spoke. "I know Satomi. You love it here. Of course you don't want to leave. I understand, child."  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"You can wait Satomi. We don't have to leave so early."  
  
She brightened. "Really?"  
  
Nansa sat up as well. "Kaiser, You mean that?"  
  
He nodded. "Yup. We can wait... Let's ask Aisha, and see what she thinks about waiting."  
  
Slowly the smile faded from Satomi's face.  
  
  
"Let's all take a trip down there and ask her how she feels about spending another three of four years living under Kisa, waiting. Or how about Asuka? You know I went down to visit her as well before I came here. Her situation isn't much better than Aisha's!"  
  
Nansa began to nod. "Who's her owner?"  
  
"Lacan."  
  
The nobleman cursed and turned away. Kaiser grunted. "You seem to understand her situation Nansa. The only thing that keeps her from losing it completely is that Lacan is rarely ever home. He's out on meetings and summits five or six days out of the week. Why don't we ask Nanaka too? The conditions she live under aren't much better than Aisha's. Or why not Krysta? Do you know what she is doing Satomi? Her owner shares her with almost seven other men and servants. SEVEN! Her nights are long and hard, Satomi. She has to sleep in the early morning hours and whatever other time in the day she's allowed to catnap. She's only got one purpose and she's reminded of it everyday for up to fourteen, fifteen times in the worst possible way! Do you want to ask her about waiting? Or maybe Aiko! What about Aiko, Satomi?! Do you know-"  
  
Satomi by now had closed her eyes and finally reached her breaking point. Crying out she cut Kaiser off.  
  
"NO!! No!! No, Kaiser, I understand!! I understand..." She clenched her small hands and sniffed. "We've got to go for their sake..."  
  
She leaned against Nansa and held back her tears as best she could. He cradled her in his arms and fell silent. He thought, 'Why do things always have to be like this... You fall in love with someone and in the end, at the point where you're sure that everything's going to be all right and your lives will end happily ever after, you lose them. You always lose them...'  
  
Kaiser leaned back and shook his head once more. "Satomi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have exploded on you like that."  
  
She didn't say anything. Kaiser lowered his head. "The only other one is Katsumi."  
  
"Kaiser, please..."  
  
He looked up and met her eyes. "She's living like you are. She's happy as well."  
  
Satomi returned his gaze. "She is?"  
  
"Yup...Nobleman Ellis."  
  
  
Nansa smiled. "Indeed. He is a good man. I'm happy he purchased her. He should have been good to her. I really like that man."  
  
Kaiser chuckled. "Me too. He was understanding about the whole issue."  
  
"You asked him?"  
  
"No, no, not me. I told Katsumi and she went ahead and told him without asking me. I suppose she trusted him. Well, he came back to me the next morning and approached me about what I had said. He was understanding about everything. He agreed. He thought my plan was sound and would work, that it was the only way to safely send our women off."  
  
"It's still not much of a plan..."  
  
"I know Nansa. But it's the only chance we have of getting them all out."  
  
"You still haven't told us how you are getting Leska free."  
  
Kaiser smiled. "Let me worry about that. She's not really in custody. She's in a camp not far from the Rocket Shot. They're testing her destructive powers and the desert is the best place for that. Getting her out will not be a problem."  
  
Satomi sniffed and once more placed her hand over Kaiser's. "Tell me, when do you plan on putting this plan into motion?"  
  
"Nobleman Kisa is going to be out for at least five more days. He's taking a detour in his vacation. When he arrives back I will repay his kindness to Aisha and then we will start everything."  
  
"...Five days..." Satomi began to breathe hard. "That's all we have left Lord Nansa, Five days!"  
  
"What do you mean Satomi! I haven't agreed to anything!"  
  
Kaiser sat up. "Nansa!"  
  
"Lord Nansa!"  
  
The nobleman turned to Satomi. "Are you really sure you want to go Satomi? Do you really want to leave me? Everything that Kaiser has told us could be a lie!"  
  
"NANSA!!!"  
  
"No, Kaiser. I mean you don't know for certain if what Lord Faust told you is correct. You don't know for certain if she will begin cycling one day!"  
  
"I can't tell you that, Nansa! No one can! But that possibility exists! What if it does come to pass? What will you do with Satomi then?"  
  
"Kaiser..."  
  
Satomi put her arm around Nansa. When she spoke her tone was very sad, with a tone of something like resignation.  
  
"Lord Nansa... Even if what Kaiser-sama says doesn't come to pass, my sisters will still be sent away. You don't understand the bond between us. Wherever they travel I will follow. We are blood, Lord. If they are leaving this place, then I will follow. They are my sisters, my only sisters on all of this planet. I love them. I cannot go on living like this when they are living in a hell of the most terrible sort. I'm sorry Lord. Whereever they go I will follow."  
  
Nansa sat there with a quiet expression on his face. He didn't move, didn't stir. Kaiser sat silently on the other side. He'd never meant to bring all this pain to his friend. He hoped it would go by smoothly and that he would understand the gravity of the situation. He'd been a fool to hope such a thing, and he knew it, but even still...  
  
Nansa exhaled slowly and turned to Satomi. She was still holding his arm. He met her eyes and stopped. Both of them gazed at one another. Satomi's sad eyes met Nansa's. Kaiser watched silently, unmoving. Satomi sniffed and Nansa finally moved. He bent his head down and nodded.  
  
"...If you so wish it Satomi. Blood is thicker than water. You may depart whenever you wish."  
  
Tears began to run down Satomi's cheeks as she nodded. "Not until the proper time, Lord Nansa. Not until then."  
  
He reached over with his other arm and held Satomi. Kaiser nodded slowly as he watched the two embrace. It was set then. It was set...well almost...  
  
  
Kaiser sat forward and knocked on the table. When the two of them turned to him he started again.  
  
"Satomi, there's something I need to tell you before I forget. This is very important."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"What is it Kaiser-sama?"  
  
"There's one thing about you that hasn't been revealed to anybody, not even myself until recently."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"All eight of you have something deep inside your selves called a 'Maiden Circuit'."  
  
She cocked her head. "Kaiser?"  
  
  
"A Maiden Circuit, Satomi. That's a piece of circuitry hidden deep within your body." He leaned forward and placed his hand on her chest bone. "Right here."  
  
Taking his hand off of her she looked back at him inquisitively. Nansa voiced her thought. "What does it do Kaiser?"  
  
The Arch-Bishop leaned back and smiled. "It's the only record in all of Terra II of your own unique genetic code." He poured himself what was left of the drink in the bottle and continued. "Just before you were sold, Ghenna knocked you all out and installed the circuit into you. The socket for it connects into the small plug on the back of your neck."  
  
With out really thinking Satomi reached back and passed her finger over it.  
  
"Lord Ghenna," Kaiser said watching her. "uploaded your genetic code into that chipset and destroyed all other records of them, including those on the damaged Mesopotamian Data Core. He blamed a fire. It was obvious he wanted no one else to create woman. He hid those codes inside of you knowing that would be the safest place for them."  
  
"Safest place? What do you mean by that?" Nansa asked.  
  
"The plug in that back of Satomi and everyone else's neck was originally designed as a port for her to receive firmware data upgrades to her system and a place to monitor her status. It's perfectly normal for slots and plugs to be placed in there to access her data. But, if someone unauthorized who knows about the Maiden Circuit tries to access it, keep in mind, it IS hidden, even to system upgraders and firmware techs, the circuit activates a self defense mode... or a more suiting name, self destruct mode."  
  
Satomi leaned forward becoming tense. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"It will explode. It will burn a hole through your heart and burst, instantly killing you."  
  
  
She sat back shaking her head. "No... No, why would he do such a thing?"  
  
"Security." Kaiser said almost indifferently. "It's the easiest way to keep someone else from accessing the data and retrieving female DNA."  
  
"But to kill them?!"  
  
Kaiser almost chuckled. "User death is actually a side effect. There's no other way to go about destroying the circuit totally and completely."  
  
"Oh my god..." Nansa ran his fingers through his long hair. "Isn't... can't they just get the DNA by simply extracting blood from the women? Or hair maybe?"  
  
Once more Kaiser shook his head. "The cells that compose her hair have broken down their nuclei. It's only a jumbled mass of bases, no more. Her blood does the exact same thing whenever it is extracted from her body. They have been engineered to die and break down the instant they are removed from her. It's another security protocol in your genes."  
  
Nansa groaned and fell silent. Kaiser downed the last of the drink in his little bowl. Satomi simply sat there silently. A Maiden Circuit... that's what held the secret to her existence. That's what held who she truly was. And that secret, it seemed, could kill her. It could leave her dead...   
  
Wasn't there anything on this whole god-forsaken planet that didn't want her either bearing children or dead? Even Lord Nansa made her pause at times by his actions. She could tell that secretly he wanted a child of his own. She'd always known that. Sometimes she read it in his eyes. Sometimes in his actions, and others in his word. The only one who seemed to be truly on her side were her sisters and Kaiser...  
  
She looked up at him. He had his eyes closed and he was sitting quietly.  
  
  
Her sisters and Kaiser...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
In the end the Arch-Bishop went back to each of the women and revealed his plan to them. The hardest one to find had been Aiko. Her owner had fallen out of favor with Ghenna and had long since been exiled. He was living with Aiko in the badlands scraping together a life and taking out his frustrations on the woman. She, quicker than any of her sisters, agreed to go. It was time. They were going to leave. They were going to find a new life sometime in the future. The far future. The plan was far from perfect, but the only other option was to remain and pray they stay sterile. They were all unanimous in their decisions.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser groaned as he walked up the steps to Nobleman Kisa's home. The little, fat, bastard was due home in about two days. He didn't need anymore time to plan, everything had been ironed out. All he had to do was get Leska. That would be the hardest part of the whole operation. Once they hit the Rocket Shot there would be no turning back. Despite the odds he was still confident. He was the Arch-Bishop of all Gray Eyes, there wasn't anyone under him who could possibly pose any threat what so ever to him. On top of that each and every one of the women, except Aisha, were at the level of a Gray Eye recruit. Aisha was the only one amongst them who passed the test for al qualifying Gray Eyes. Had she been a man, she would have been Gray Eye. Together the nine would be a force to be reckoned with. Kaiser smiled. He was very confident.   
  
He knocked on the massive wooden doors and waited. He wanted to say good bye to Aisha one last time before he came back in two days to take her away for her final trip. He missed her again and was anxious to see her at least once more. Kaiser waited a minute before knocking again. No one was answering the door.   
  
He knocked one last, solid time before deciding to force his way in. That little rat servant who scuttled around and always answered the door wasn't answering which was very, very odd. His room was right beside the doorway. Kaiser took a step or two back and positioned his arm. He could break through that wood, no problem. With a grunt he charged.  
  
At the last second he caught the sound of a bolt being thrown on the other side of the door.  
  
"Oh shit!"  
  
The door opened and the small servant peered out. He found himself face to face with Kaiser's stomach. The Arch-Bishop had just barely halted himself in time to avoid breaking the door down and trampling over the man...  
  
The man looked up to Kaiser's face with an expression of indifference.  
  
"Kaiser-sama." he said almost disgusted. "It's you again... Here to see Aisha once more?"  
  
The tall man took a step back and nodded. "Yes."  
  
The servant seemed to sigh. "Well I am quite sorry but she is occupied at the moment."  
  
"Occupied? Doing what?"  
  
Kaiser couldn't believe what the man told him next.  
  
"Lord Kisa arrived back early today and is having a little talk with her about some flowers he found in his room. You know how the Master hates flowers and Aisha wasn't able to come up with a good reason for why they were there. Master Kisa seemed so displeased when I told him about your little visits and the way she had been weeping when you were around. He is currently-"  
  
He was cut off as Kaiser kicked the door fully open with one smooth blow and took off past the little servant bowling him over. Kaiser ignored its cries to cease and desist and took up off the stairs toward Kisa's bedroom.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I don't believe you!"  
  
[whump!]  
  
"You little cheating, disgusting whore!"  
  
[whump!]  
  
"Who do you think you are messing with?! Didn't you think I would have found out about this?!  
  
[whump!]  
  
Aisha screamed in pain as Kisa gave her another hefty kick in the side. She rolled over onto her back and writhed in pain. The evil little man walked forward and, lifting his foot up high, stomped down as hard as he could on her soft belly. With a strangled, painful scream Aisha curled up and moaned in agony.  
  
Kisa had found out about Kaiser. After he talked to his doorman about who came and who went it became clear. His own little doll was cheating on him! She was sleeping with another man.   
  
With another scream Kisa lashed out at her once more. "Didn't you think I would have found out about this?!!"  
  
Aisha tried her best to roll over, but found herself too dizzy. She couldn't tell which way was up...  
  
Kisa strode over to her and kicked her down once more. Aisha fell face first flat onto the floor.  
  
"You cheated on me! You CHEATED ON ME!!!"  
  
Aisha seemed to smile from her prone position on the floor. "I never committed anything to you. You took me. I've NEVER loved you..."  
  
Kisa exploded. "LIES!! LIIIIIEEES!!!"  
  
In a frenzy he began savagely kicking her anew. Aisha cried out time and time again as the Nobleman raged above her.  
  
"I'll teach you to respect me!! I'll teach you to love me !! I'll teach you to die for ME!!!"  
  
He turned and left the woman bruised and bleeding on the ground. Walking over to the fireplace he grabbed one of the pokers and hefted it up. He smiled and turned to Aisha brandishing the weapon.  
  
  
"I'll teach you..."  
  
Aisha's mind began to clear up and through the haze she saw Kisa walking toward her. He was carrying something... Her brain slowly registered what it was and her eyes shot open. Aisha rolled over and tried her best to back away.   
  
  
"No...no, Lord! Ungh! Please, Lord... That will kill me!! Please... Ahh!"  
  
Her body hurt to move. She backed herself up into a wall and watched with horror as the fat, sadistic nobleman approached her.  
  
"I will teach you a lesson you will never forget, Aisha... You will start obeying me from now on when I tell you something...yes...You will..."  
  
Aisha could see something terrible burning in his bulging eyes. That insane light, that sadistic glow. She became terrified. She was going to die... She was so close to leaving everything behind and she was going to die. She was so close to being truly happy again. She'd been so close...  
  
Tears traced her way down her cheeks as Kisa rose the poker above his head. He giggled.  
  
"Now scream for me!!"  
  
  
With a sob Aisha closed her eyes and waited for the final blow. She curled her body up as small as it would get and screwed her eyes as tightly shut as she could.  
  
  
'Goodbye...'  
  
  
"...K-Kaiser?!"  
  
Aisha heard the name and opened one eye. Kisa wasn't looking at her anymore. He was turned to something else behind him. Aisha opened her other eye and gasped. It was him...   
  
With one hand Kaiser held the Nobleman's arm and prevented it from descending onto it's victim. One hand was all he needed. Kisa wasn't that strong.  
  
  
Kaiser had found the door to be locked. He overcame that problem by crushing the doorknob in his fist and walking in. He was just in time to see Kisa raise the poker above his head and Aisha sobbing in a little ball by his feet.  
  
The fat man looked at him now incredulously.  
  
"Kaiser! What are you doing-"  
  
"Shut up." Kaiser's tone was even and menacing. Kisa began to scowl. His eyes had become like fire.  
  
"Watch who you are talking to! You are the cause of all this!! You've been seeing my doll behind my back! You corrupted her!! Just you wait until I tell Lord Ghenna about thiiiiIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Kisa screamed in pain as Kaiser effortlessly crushed Kisa's fat wrist into over forty different pieces completely destroying the joint. The poker dropped out of his now lifeless hand and onto the floor with a clatter.   
  
In one smooth motion Kaiser moved up behind Kisa and covered his mouth, stifling the scream.  
  
"Shhhh..." He whispered into the fat, sweaty man's ear. "Quiet now... quiet now..."  
  
Aisha slowly rose to her feet and watched knowing full well what was going to happen next. She cupped her hand over her mouth and did her best to look away.  
  
"...Kaiser..."  
  
The Arch-Bishop waited until Kisa had slowed down to a whimper before he continued. When he spoke, he spoke gently, slowly almost as if he was scolding a little child. But Kaiser's blood had been boiled. He'd almost seen his precious Aisha struck down and killed with a fireplace poker. If two things were guaranteed to Kisa they would be that the end was about to come and that it would not be painless.  
  
"It came to my attention, Nobleman Kisa, that you struck my Aisha on more than one occasion." Kaiser slowly began to pull back on the Nobleman's arm... "And that you threatened her life, also on more than one occasion. You made her a slave..." Kisa began to wail in pain once more as he felt his arm twisting out of his socket. "You made her an object... You forced her into terrible things... You stole her humanity, robbed her of her pride, locked away her heart and forced her to shed her feelings..." Kisa began to wail again, twisting his body around, trying to get free of Kaiser's grip. His arm was now bend back the wrong way and parallel to the ground. One more push and...  
  
"Nobleman Kisa, despite all of these I would have been able to forgive you. I would have been able to simply just take her away and leave you to live your life out in it's own miserable little way. But no... Not only did you do this daily to her, you did it in front of me... You did this when I was around, showing off like you always do. And when you did, I saw you doing the one thing that I could never forgive anyone for..."  
  
Kaiser gripped the arm solidly and let his voice drop to a slow, sinuous whisper. The fat man's little eyes were hidden away by the wrinkles on his forehead and large tears were falling from the folds of his skull.  
  
"You made my Aisha cry..."  
  
With a heave Kaiser pushed with all his might. Despite being muffled, Lord Kisa was still able to get a decent sized scream out. For the first time in his life he knew what real pain meant. Kaiser figured he'd never know what true pain, emotional pain, would be like, so he would have to make due with the more physical nature of it. Kisa's arm, now twisted entirely around, hung limply at his side. His shoulder had been shattered and broken. The joint had been not only twisted in it's own socket, it had broken. Every muscle that had not torn itself in half had been twisted viciously around. Every tendon that had helped to attach the arm to the body was now snapped. The nerves running up the arm were now twisted and tight, amplifying the signal to the fat man's little brain.  
  
Kaiser frowned and turned Kisa's head to Aisha. She was standing there watching the horrible scene unfold in front of her unable to look away...  
  
"Look at her Kisa... Look at the woman whose life you tore apart. Look at the life you tried to shatter. Look at her. I want you to know, that from this moment on, she's free. She's free Kisa... She'll never be a slave again. Her life is her own..."  
  
He whispered once more harshly into his ear.   
  
"Her life is her own..."  
  
  
Aisha, at the last moment, managed to turn away just as Kaiser finished off the large Nobleman. She heard a sickening crunch and then the sound of a body falling to the floor. Turning back slowly she saw Kisa was dead on the ground, his head twisted at an odd angle, murdered in cold blood...  
  
Slowly she rose her eyes up to Kaiser. His eyes were loosing the fire that had once burned in them. He stood with his shoulders slightly slumped and arms hanging at his sides. His breath came out slowly and at regular intervals. He swallowed once and looked up at her. His flat gray ones seemed to come alive once more when they met those soft, green ones.  
  
"...Aisha."  
  
Her eyes began to well up with tears once more. She shook her head.  
  
"...Kaiser."  
  
Kaiser felt his face flush and his eyes began to water. "Aisha, please, don't... Don't, I..."  
  
"You killed him..." Her voice had become small and timid. "You murdered him..."  
  
"He was going to murder you Aisha."  
  
Slowly she rose her eyes up to Kaiser. His eyes were loosing the fire that had once burned in them. He stood with his shoulders slightly slumped and arms hanging at his sides. His breath came out slowly and at regular intervals. He swallowed once and looked up at her. His flat gray ones seemed to come alive once more when they met those soft, green ones.  
  
"...Aisha."  
  
Her eyes began to well up with tears once more. She shook her head.  
  
"...Kaiser."  
  
Kaiser felt his face flush and his eyes began to water. "Aisha, please, don't... Don't, I..."  
  
"You killed him..." Her voice had become small and timid. "You murdered him..."  
  
"He was going to murder you Aisha."  
  
Her pretty, jade eye looked up from the body on the floor and met with Kaiser's.  
  
"K-Kaiser..."  
  
The Arch-Bishop strode forward and took the woman into his arms. "Aisha... Shhh, Aisha. It's ok, it's ok..."  
  
He could feel the woman trembling in his arms. Her breathing picked up and her head began to spin. He was dead. Kisa was dead. The horrid man that had beaten and tormented the young woman lay at her feet, his neck snapped like a twig by the man holding her in his arms. Her mind began to swirl. Should she feel happy? Her nightmare was over and in her arms she held her savior. Or should she feel disgusted and repulsed. The hands that now held her were stained with the blood of a man who lived on the pain and sorrow of others...  
  
  
  
As her mind began to spin a shuffle to their left caused Aisha to turn. He saw, running down the hallway, the little doorman. He'd seen everything...  
  
"MURDER!! MUUUURDEEEER!!! THEY'VE SLAIN THE MASTER!!!"  
  
Kaiser scowled and let go of Aisha. In a single bound he was clear of the door. He saw the man running down the stairwell still yelling at the top of his lungs. In one smooth motion Kaiser pulled out his sidearm he'd kept at his side since starting this endeavor and took aim.  
  
"MURDER!! HELP ANYONE!! THEY'VE MURD-" [Thhhhhpbt!] In a low moan the little man fell dead at the base of the stairs, a cauterized hole in his chest. Kaiser holstered the weapon and Aisha came running out. She turned away as soon as she saw the doorman lying dead on the floor down below.   
  
"No! KAISER!" she was almost screaming.  
  
He turned. "Aisha-"  
  
Whirling on him she beat at his chest. "KAISER!! PLEASE! Stop killing them!! Stop killing people!! Don't kill anyone else!!"  
  
He took a step back. "Aisha I had no choice! He saw us!"  
  
"B-but, Kaiser..."  
  
Kaiser frowned and took hold of her shoulders. "Aisha this isn't the time for morals or second thoughts! We are going to do something totally unheard of. Something never before done! We can't stop and think before we act!"  
  
"But...but why not?! Why can't we think before we kill?" her eyes were brimming once more.  
  
"Because, Aisha, They won't! They will not think twice! They will pull that trigger and kill you without even thinking! They are the enemy! They will do anything to stop you!"  
  
"But he wasn't going to kill anybody..." She said motioning to the corpse at the base of the stairs.  
  
"He was going to kill YOU!" Aisha stopped and fell silent. Kaiser continued. "I've murdered someone. The two of us will be executed if the finger is ever pointed at us. He was going to alert the authorities!"  
  
Aisha swallowed and gazed back at him with her sad eyes. Kaiser did his best to stare back into them. Why were they always sad? Why were they always filled with tears?  
  
"We are at war Aisha. Those not with us are against us. I want to see you off. I want to see you all go on to a better place! To move on into the future where you will be happy! I want you happy Aisha! I've revoked my future here. By helping you I've forfeited my future. I've given up the life I had. I've got nothing more to look forward to. You are looking at the face of a man who has nothing more to lose except you."  
  
He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm living for you now. I can't risk letting you fail. I'm letting go, Aisha. You're the last thing keeping me here. Anyone that threatens you will be destroyed. I'm fighting anything and everything no matter the cost to see you to safety..."  
  
She sniffed and stared back at him. Her fist seemed to tighten up for a moment before she sighed and slumped up against him.   
  
"Do you want me to be happy?"  
  
"Aisha, that's the only reason why I'm here."  
  
She leaned up and glared sadly into his eyes. "Then don't you ever kill anyone ever again! Don't even squish an insect. Please Kaiser... I don't like this feeling inside me... I don't care if this is all you've ever been trained to do. Don't... Please Kaiser. Stop. For me, just... just stop..."  
  
The man looked into his maiden's eyes and swallowed. All his life he killed. He'd killed more men than he could remember, that was his job and duty. Aisha was asking him to forsake that.  
  
Kaiser almost chuckled. He shook his head slowly. What the hell, he'd forsaken everything else in his life. For Aisha he would do anything. If she so wished it...  
  
"...Fine, I'll curb my gun for you..."  
  
Smiling she leaned forward and took hold of him. She was starting to feel weak and quite nearly collapsed into his arms. Once more tears fell from her face. Kaiser began to choke as he felt her weep onto him. He held her close and did his best to hold back his own tears.  
  
"...Aisha..." He gasped out. "Aisha... I told you... please... don't..."  
  
She looked up at him. "Kaiser... w-what are you talking ab-bout?"  
  
The man reached down and cupped her face in his hand. "Crying... please. I hate seeing you cry..."  
  
Weakly Aisha smiled and slowly nodded. Narrowing her eyes and gripping him tightly she held him with out saying a word. She decided that she would try to stay happy. The time had finally come. The devil lay at her feet, dead. The dragon had been slain and in her arms was her knight. Her world restored, she'd awoken from her terrible dream. Her nightmare was almost over. Her adventure was almost complete; despite the deaths that heralded it, it was almost done.   
  
......her nightmare was over..................  
  
............her nightmare was over............  
  
..................her nightmare was over......  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska sat back in her little cell. It wasn't very big, only seven feet by ten, but the walls were made of metal. They were three feet of solid steel on all the sides. It was the only thing that could keep her contained. Along the opposite wall there was a small rectangular slot on the door where the sunlight streamed in. Her cell was smack dab in middle desert in a small demolition ground Lord Ghenna had arranged.   
  
She wiped a trail of sweat off her nose and rolled over. There was nothing to do when she was locked up in there. Every once and a while someone walked past her cell door and his thoughts filtered through the little slot and she could tell what he was thinking. Once and a while they let her out to hone her destructive capabilities. Once and a while she was fed...  
  
Leska rolled back onto her back and crossed her arms behind her head. She was getting tired of this. Same gruel everyday, same time for psycho-kinesis practice, same little box, same four walls, same little slot in the door...  
  
Groaning she rolled over once more.  
  
"...This sucks..."  
  
At least it was nice and cool inside her cell. The heat of the desert wasn't able to pierce through the thick walls. It wasn't until sunset when the walls finally began to grow warm. Nights were usually cool, but not terribly cold as the walls retained the heat gathered during the day.  
  
Her ears pricked up as she heard someone pass by her cell door. She sat up and looked up toward the slot. It was a guard. Smiling and narrowing her eyes she began to read his thoughts.  
  
'God dammed heat... I hate this place. Nothing to do here-'  
  
His thoughts were cut off when she heard a too familiar voice.  
  
"Soldier! What do you think you are doing?!"  
  
Leska shot up to her feet and ran to the peephole. She looked out and saw Kaiser standing there, his back to the door.  
  
"Do you call that a march? You are on guard duty! Stand up straight, now! NOW SOLDIER!!"  
  
She grinned. It was Kaiser! He'd come back! She narrowed her eyes and began to read his thoughts.  
  
'-hear me Leska? Are you there? Leska, can you hear me?'  
  
She blinked. He was talking to her?! Wow, he was able to scream at that soldier and still be able to form totally separate thoughts. That was quite a trick!  
  
'Kaiser! Hi! Kaiser, It's me!'  
  
'Good! Leska! Hello! It's been a while.'  
  
'Yeah! How'd you know I was in here? What's going on Kaiser? How's everyone else doing?'  
  
'Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down girl.' He was almost chuckling. 'Read my mind and find out. Hurry now.'  
  
She narrowed her eyes and began to concentrate. His thoughts flowed in through the peephole and she began to search through them.  
  
'Oh my god! Kaiser this is terrible!! Poor Aisha!!'  
  
'Yeah, dig a little bit deeper. There's more.'  
  
'...'  
  
'...Well?' he asked. 'Did you find it?'  
  
'...Kaiser! You slept with Aisha!!!'  
  
  
The sentry who was being yelled at did his best to straighten himself up. The Arch-Bishop wasn't just angry, he was pissed! What the hell happened to him? What on earth did he do to deserve this berating?   
  
Kaiser suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. The guard suddenly came to attention again. What... Kaiser shook his head and resumed the ass chewing. The soldier was becoming confused now. It was almost as if Kaiser had face faulted or something...  
  
  
'...Here we go...'   
  
Kaiser groaned in his mind and let her absorb the details of the plan. When she finished she shook her head in amazement.   
  
'That is one bold plan, Kaiser. You seem to think we can pull it off.'  
  
'The whole thing hinges on whether or not you can pilot that rocket and work that equipment.'  
  
  
'Let me at some people who how to do it and I'll have no problem.'  
  
'Good. I'll be back here again at three tonight to get you out. We're going to hit that rocket shot at sun up tomorrow morning!'  
  
'Wait a second, I haven't seen any of my sisters in over a year now, or even you for that matter. Aren't you kind of rushing things?'  
  
'I have to. The plan hinges on you and once you're gone we'll have every unit on the planet looking for you. I'm sorry but you won't have very much time to reminisce.'  
  
'Aww... Ok then... I'll see you tonight, Kaiser.'  
  
'Sit tight, Leska. I'll be around.'  
  
'Hai, Hai! I'll be waiting. Oh, Kaiser! One more thing...'  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
'...Thanks for coming back. This is all very, very sudden, but thanks anyway.'  
  
  
  
The Arch-Bishop finished screaming at the sentry and turned. The man watched his leader stomp away in a state of semi-shock. What the hell had been up his ass? Wasn't Kaiser known for being a tad more lenient than most other Gray Eyes. The sentry sniffed and wiped his nose. Fear was staring down the long nose of a pissed off Arch-Bishop. Weren't they all on the same side?  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Aisha smiled as she dozed in the arms of Satomi. They all were there, all seven of them. Kaiser had helped each and everyone of them escape their masters and for the first time in over a year they were all united. After the auction they'd lost contact with each other. When they finally met again for the first time in over a year there were tears, more tears than could be counted. Long-lasting bitter tears, sorrowful tears and happy tears. To Aisha they all felt good. They meant that she was losing something inside of her she just didn't want. She was losing her past and healing the scars that had been inflicted. The same was true for all of them. For the first time in an eternity for them they were all happy, truly happy and for Aisha that was all that mattered.  
  
Holding her lost sisters in her arms she was in that happy place, that home that they all lost. Once again she was swinging through the vines, once again they were all bathing in that pool, playing and splashing around, laughing and smiling. She was smiling broadly, cheering loudly, once again she was carefree. The world seemed to have floated away.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hip, hip  
Hip, hip  
Hip, hip  
Hip, hip  
  
When you're on a holiday,  
You can't find the words to say.  
All the things that come to you  
And I wanna feel it too.  
  
On an island in the sun  
We'll be playing and having fun...  
And it makes me feel so fine  
I can't control my brain.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
While all the women slept soundly in each other's arms on the warm desert sand, Kaiser sat some distance away, a cigarette held loosely between his fingers. He was letting the night wear itself slowly away, letting the stars overhead slowly travel their course across the sky. This was it. He'd taken each and every one of the women and escaped their homes. Now they were going to try and pull off the largest act of defiance ever seen against Mesopotamia. They were going to break into two military installations, take control of their most secret technologies and send eight women through time.   
  
  
...Only eight Woman...  
  
  
He looked over to Aisha sleeping peacefully. Poor child... He'd gotten her this far. Luck... All that had taken him this far was luck. His training helped only to keep them alive before fate took control of their actions. He had gotten lucky with Kisa. Five seconds later... five seconds later, and Aisha might have died.  
  
He took a pull and watched the horizon. Suddenly a pin point of light lit up in the sky and expanded to cover the entire northern horizon line. Kaiser watched this glow that lit the skies up rise into the inky blackness above. It was a rocket taking off from the shot. It was headed for the stars. The next rocket up there would have the women on it.  
  
  
Sticking the cigarette butt into the sand he extinguished it. With a small groan Kaiser reached around and pulled a small box of more cigs out of his pocket. Opening he looked inside.  
  
"Shit..." Only one left. He'd have to save it. Maybe for when they all reach the space station.   
  
Kaiser looked back up into the sky. The goddess of luck continued to smile down upon them.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hip, hip  
Hip, hip  
  
When you're on a golden sea  
You don't need no memory...  
Just a place to call your own,  
As we drift into the zone...  
  
On an island in the sun,  
We'll be playing and having fun.  
And it makes me feel so fine  
I can't control my brain.  
  
We'll run away, together!  
We'll spend some time, forever!  
We'll never feel bad anymore!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska yawned and stretched some. Kaiser would come soon. She looked out the small hole in the metal door and blinked drowsily. Despite the hell they were going to raise in the morning she couldn't help but feel tired. Sleep had always been very restless for her. Her dreams circulated from her sisters and better times to the more recent events with Lord Ghenna.   
  
She'd come to find that the visions she saw in her mind were only a small fraction of the power she could have potentially wielded. Ghenna had shown her that she was capable of awesome destructive powers. Whole buildings had been leveled just this morning during her test run.   
  
Ghenna had told her that her body was like a magnet for psionic energy. That the more she practiced the stronger her magnet would become. She was worried about to her actual practice routine though. Why would Ghenna have her practice destroying homes and abandoned buildings out in the desert? The more she was forced to practice the more apprehensive she became about using her powers. She could have practiced in more non-volatile methods. Something told her it was only matter of time before she was firing upon live targets.  
  
She had to escape. Leska had always been in the mind of others. She, more than anyone on the planet, knew that every person was a man who led a life. This man touched many, many others in his life. He had a father. Many had children of their own. They all had loved ones. They all had homes. They all had hopes and dreams. They all were fighting to live in a world where life was a chance rather than a blessing.  
  
That was why she never attacked anyone. She never struck out to hurt or kill someone. She never said hard words or complained at others work. She loved all of man. They all were just like her- clones; reconstructions of other people. They were all humans. She knew the hearts of men, and thus understood them. This was why she hated to scorn or hurt them.  
  
This was why she had to escape. The time would most definitely come where she would have to hurt her fellow man. God save her lest she kills someone. She had a terrible feeling about that. It would be a step in a direction, down a path, from which she would not be able to return.  
  
Looking up to her window she watched what few stars she could see. Things were going to change. She would finally be able to live happily again. When they all took that jump and sent themselves away from this terrible place, they would all be happy. Things were going to get better. Things were going to turn out all right. She had a feeling, deep inside herself. They were going to ride that rocket all the way to the gates of hell, right into the maw of the beast. But at the end of the tunnel... That light they were going to see...  
  
She closed her eyes. They were going to make it...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hip, hip  
Hip, hip  
Hip, hip  
  
On an island in the sun.  
We'll be playing and having fun.  
And it makes me feel so fine,  
I can't control my brain.  
  
We'll run away, together!  
We'll spend some time, forever!  
We'll never feel bad anymore!!  
  
Hip, hip  
Hip, hip  
  
We'll never feel bad anymore!!  
No, no!  
We'll never feel bad anymore!!  
No, no!  
No, no.  
No, no..  
  
~Island in the Sun  
Weezer  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser came when he promised. At one hour past midnight Leska heard a scuffle out side her door. There was a short grunt and then silence. She waited in the dark a moment. Everything went quiet...  
  
Suddenly she heard a bolt slide on her door and with a slow creak the whole thing opened outwards. The large man stood framed in the doorway. He said one thing and a moment later they were escaping into the desert, her in his arms. It was all quick and efficient wasting no time.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser ran silently, talking to her through his thoughts. She leaned up against his body in his arms and let his warmth spread into her. The desert nights had been cool and relaxed for her inside her steel prison. The heat from the sun kept her little place warm and comfortable during the nights and somewhat cool during the day. The nights outside were bitterly cold but she'd never known just how much so until then. The air bit into her exposed skin like a thousand icy pinpricks.  
  
'Brr... Kaiser, it's so cold out here. How are my sisters getting through this?'  
  
' 'Doesn't bug me any.' He thought calmly. 'I'm doing all the moving about. Stay close to me, I'll try and run faster for you. There's a...'  
  
'...Camp fire back at our camp, Ok.'  
  
Kaiser chuckled. She never ceased to amaze him. She began to laugh as well.  
  
"I know I do, Kaiser."  
  
He began to blush. "Stay outta my head, will you?"  
  
She nodded slowly. "Mind if I ask you something then?"  
  
'Sure, what is it?'  
  
  
'Why did you steal all those explosives?"  
  
'What!?'  
  
"Those explosives from that camp I was in. I can see it in your mind. You took a large sack of them. Why? It looks like you took enough to level an entire city. Where are we going to be using them?"  
  
'God-dammit! You can't hide anything from a psychic!'  
  
"Hehe, Kaiser, it's your own fault. When you try to hide things you bring it the surface. You unbury it to try to re-bury it."  
  
'Yeah, whatever. I thought you weren't going to read my mind no more.'  
  
"I can't help it when you think all your answers instead of saying them!"  
  
Kaiser grunted. Damn child was too nosy...  
  
"I am not! Now why DID you steal those things Kaiser?"  
  
'When you girls get up to the station you'll have to blow up everything before the last group leaves. We have to remove all traces of our passing. I think, more than likely, Ghenna will have recording devices set up to monitor where the science teams are sending themselves. We'll have to blow up the whole lab to get to them all and cover our trails.'  
  
"We don't want them to follow us, huh?"  
  
'Exactly...'  
  
Leska nodded and leaned back up against Kaiser. This was a bold plan they were going to carry out. As she checked his mind she felt an overwhelming feeling about him. It was worry. Kaiser was scared about something. He seemed afraid that something was going to happen. Leska frowned a bit. Kaiser was never afraid. She thought about reading further to catch what it was but decided against it. He wasn't actively thinking about it and she didn't want to dig too deep into his thoughts to retrieve it. But the fact still remained he was worried. There was no doubt about it...  
  
Leska closed her eyes. She couldn't help but feel her previous feeling of confidence dampened...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Are you all ready?"  
"Hai..."  
"Here goes nothing Kaiser-sama."  
"No, Satomi, here goes everything."  
"Aisha's right. This is the end of everything for us."  
"We're leaving this world behind."  
"We're leaving..."  
"Then let's show them what us women are capable of!"  
"Let's show them what we're all capable of!"  
  
Kaiser nodded. All eight of them were gathered in the early morning twilight. Two miles away stood the rocket shot. Kaiser figured they had less than an hour before the next rocket would lift off. They would have to move fast. The trick was getting there in time for the ship to finish fueling but before the pilots board her.  
  
All eight of the women wore a black nylon single piece jump suit. A few had a rather tight fit (none of the suits were built with a woman's physique in mind.) but they, for the most part, fit into them well. Kaiser had made them change their clothes earlier, telling them to shed what they took from their previous owner's home. He didn't want any loose sleeves or corners getting caught on something while they were moving through the complex.   
  
Over his shoulder he had the bag filled with explosives. There were eight bricks each with a timer and a small charge. He wasn't worried about them going off while they were on his back; All the explosives were designed to only go off when the small charge went off. Each brick had enough power to destroy the primary testing lab up in the station three times over. The whole case would make the entire station disappear. They were going to set them back so far that time travel would be an impossible platform for them to once again gain a foothold on. It was said Mesopotamia would disappear in less than fifty years from now. If played out properly, it would take them at least 75 to recover their lost technology.  
  
"All right you all. This is it! We have to move fast and hard. I made a big fucking mistake last night. I left Leska's cell door wide open. That means that if they don't already know she's gone, they will in a very short period of time."  
  
All of them looked to each other and at Leska. There was no going back for her now...  
  
"We move swiftly and we move silently. I don't want them to know we're in that rocket shot to steal one of their birds until we've taken it and cleared that tower." He said pointing to the large steel rail tower in the not-too-far distance.  
  
"We are going to do this. We are going to succeed. There is nothing that can stop us. We are a team. We are companions. We are all friends. We haven't seen each other in a very long time, and I'm sorry we haven't had any real time to reminisce and catch up, but we are now in a hurry. We are in a rush.  
  
"None of you deserve this more than anyone else on the planet. I've forsaken my future. I've lost my destiny-giving aide to you eight. But you all are different. The future still shines in your eyes. The future still rests in your hearts. We're going to take each other there. We're going to reach that future together."  
  
He held out his hand.  
  
"Are we one on this? The future or bust?"  
  
Aisha nodded and put her hand on his.  
  
"No Kaiser. There is no bust. To the future. We're all going to the future. There is no other way."  
  
Leska stepped forward and placed her hand on Aisha's. "Then let's do it. I want to see us all together in a place free of Ghenna"   
  
Aiko stepped forward and did the same. "We're going to. Nothing can stop us."  
  
Asuka followed. "Nothing."  
  
Kaiser smiled as each of them came forward and added their hands to his. They were going to do this. They were a team. When they all had their hands in he nodded.   
  
"Despite what happens, I want to let you all know, I'm proud to be here with you all. You've come far. I was there not six hours after you all were born watching you sleeping. I watched you grow and develop with disgust. I was ashamed to be part of the creation of such seemingly filthy creatures.  
  
"But you eight did something few other men have ever done. You changed me. I'm grateful for being here. I'm grateful for knowing all of you. I'm grateful for what you all did to me, how you changed my life. I'm proud to be here at your side doing this. Despite everything that may go wrong I want you all to know that I am doing this because I love each and every one of you. You've become like my daughters. You've made me proud. Now we go. Let nothing on this planet keep you from your happiness.  
  
"...Let's move."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
"Kaiser-sama! I am very sorry but even you do not have authority here!"  
  
The Arch-Bishop scowled down to the guard. Behind him the eight women stood in two lines of four. All around men stared at the women curiously. A few pointed and while others gawked. Leska began to blush slightly as their thoughts floated into her mind.  
  
'What on earth were those?!'  
  
'Those are men?'  
  
'W-what the?'  
  
'Psh... what's with the long hair?'  
  
'Who the hell are those guys?'  
  
  
Kaiser leaned forward and brought his face close to the guard's own. When it came to being imposing Kaiser was second to none.  
  
"Let me in."  
  
The guard timidly shook his head.  
  
"N-no sir! None of you have any passes or identification! I can't allow you to pass. Lockers and master control are through here. You'll have to take them through processing and get them some I.D. there... Now please don't hurt me Kaiser-sama~"  
  
With a snort Kaiser rose and turned. Leska was at the very front of the line behind Kaiser. He turned to her and began to whisper to her. The guard began to exhale. He wasn't going to get mauled!  
  
  
"Leska... Will this man let me through?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes and read the man's thoughts. 'No, Kaiser. He's steadfast. I don't think you'll be able to convince him.'  
  
"Well, what's behind the door? Does he know?"  
  
'Yes...' she nodded slowly. 'There's a locker room directly behind that gateway. At the far end he remembers another door. Behind that there's a tunnel that goes both straight ahead and cuts to the left. The left entrance leads into a room with many monitors and controls and such. There's a large glass window that peers into darkness beyond that.   
  
'The other way leads into a huge cavern like place. To the left there's a massive tunnel that leads into darkness. I can see two tracks leading out from the darkness. Above the roof seems to end and there will be nothing but sky above. Each of the tracks seems to slope upwards here and reach into the sky.'  
  
"This sounds like the main launching chamber. That's your destination. But to get there we'll have to get through this guy..."  
  
The guard was becoming curious. What was Kaiser doing. It seemed like he was talking to that man with the shifty eyes, but the man never responded back. He shuddered as Leska's gazed passed over him again.  
  
"That man has the oddest eyes I have ever seen..." he said to himself.  
  
'You'll need to get the passcode from him.' Leska thought calmly.  
  
"All right, how do I do that?"  
  
'Ask him for it.'  
  
"What?"  
  
'Ask him for it. Even if he doesn't tell you it'll surface the memory in his mind. I'll be able to retrieve it then."  
  
The Guard walked up behind Kaiser.  
  
"Err... Kaiser-sama?"  
  
Slowly the Arch-Bishop turned around and faced him once more. Smiling he spoke to the smaller man.  
  
"Would you mind telling me the passcode for the door?"  
  
The guard was shocked.   
  
"What?! Kaiser-sama! I told you before, I can't let you through. These eight don't have I.D. You'll need to take them to processing!"  
  
Kaiser nodded and turned back to Leska.  
  
"Got it?"  
  
'Yes. 15637.'  
  
"Good. Here's the plan. I'm going to rush this idiot. When I do so your cover will be blown so you'll have to work fast. Get to the key pad and-"  
  
'Wait a second Kaiser. I'm getting something else.' she interrupted him. 'There are men in that control room. Men that his guard is afraid of. Two of them...They have gray eyes...  
  
Kaiser cursed as silently as he could. Things just went bad. "Shit! Two of them? Are you sure?"  
  
'Yes, this man is distinctly afraid of them. There's two back there.'  
  
Kaiser closed his eyes and groaned. "Dammit! We need that control room. I can't launch unless we gain control of that room."  
  
'Will they be a problem Kaiser?'  
  
He stood there a moment and thought. Only two? "Well...No. No, we can handle them. With me at your side they won't be a problem.'  
  
'All right Kaiser. If you say so.'  
  
  
A tall, lanky man wandered up from down the hallway chewing on some food. He saw the eight men lined up in two neat rows in front of the primary gateway and headed over to check it out. This looked unusual. The guard saw the man and came quickly to attention saluting.  
  
"Bishop Segas! Sir!"  
  
The man saluted back and smiled. "What's the problem, Cheikonov?"  
  
"Bishop sir, Kaiser-sama requests that himself and these eight be allowed to enter the hangar bay, but they have no identification, sir!"  
  
"Kaiser?" the bishop walked forward. "Kaiser! Is that you?"  
  
The Arch-Bishop froze... Oh no... Slowly he turned. The man was about six foot five, His hair had been cut close to his head and his body seemed thin and gaunt. His arms and legs seemed to be made of nothing but skin and bone. These, however, hid their true power and strength...  
  
"Kaiser! Welcome here! It's been a while!"  
  
Naturally born into speed, this man worked his way up to master his combat system and his strength. He'd become one of the most powerful Bishops in all Mesopotamia. His eye set him apart from the others. They were such a light shade of gray they made them look entirely white except for the little black pupil in the center. This man was Bishop Segas.  
  
Kaiser swallowed. "B-bishop! What are you..."  
  
The Bishop laughed and went over to clap him on the back. "Don't look so shocked Kaiser! They needed a few Gray Eyes to take charge of this place and I just so happened to make the cut."  
  
"But, but..." Kaiser stammered. He wasn't supposed to be here!  
  
"Ain't nothing happens out here though! It's all rest and relaxation! Buahahahaa!"   
  
Kaiser just nodded dumbly. This was not good at all. They were going to have to go through that guard one way or another and the Bishop in the way was going to complicate things. Kaiser wasn't afraid of loosing to him, (he was, after all, the Arch-Bishop of Mesopotamia.) but the man could delay them just enough for the other two Gray Eye to catch wind of what was going on and join the fray...  
  
Segas smiled. "At least I'm not alone in this place. There's two Black Legionnaires behind that door." He said pointing to the door they were trying to get through.   
  
Kaiser blanched. "Buh-Black Legionnaires?!"  
  
"Yep. Both of them are I believe."  
  
'Fuck...' Things had just gone from bad to worse. The Black Legion was composed of Gray Eye who, unlike the Bishops, centered them selves around their only skill. They practiced and refined their skill until they had come to master it totally and completely. They were the elite of the Gray Eye. They were the best of the best...  
  
Segas smiled over to the Guard. "So what's the problem here?"  
  
"Sir!" the guard said smartly. "Kaiser-sama wishes to proceed forward with these eight recruits, but none of them have any ID. They all need to head down to processing, sir!"  
  
"That so?" The Bishop walked over to Katsumi at the head of her line and bent down to examine her. "Heh, These are some funny looking recruits Kaiser! Hah! If I didn't know any better I'd say these were all women!" he added with a laugh.  
  
Kaiser merely smiled weakly. Leska began to frantically call out to him with her mind.  
  
'Kaiser! Kaiser!! It's Nanaka! There's something wrong!'  
  
Kaiser turned and met Leska's eyes. She continued.  
  
'She knows this man. This is Bishop Segas! He was an old friend of her master! She's SLEPT with him before!! He's going to recognize her!!'  
  
Kaiser swallowed and turned back to the Bishop. He was poking at Aiko's chest and commentating on how she put too much safety foam into her suit.  
  
'What are we going to do, Kaiser?'  
  
  
'We can't do anything! Tell her to sit tight and try her best to look like a man.'  
  
'What!? K-Kaiser? You're kidding!'  
  
'No I'm not! Do it!'  
  
Bishop Segas laughed and walked around to Nanaka's line. "Well, despite their odd appearances and the fact that a few seemed to have put a little too much safety foam into their suits they seem to check out. I think they are legitimate."  
  
He walked up right past Nanaka, not noticing who she was. Visibly she relaxed.  
  
"Cheikonov, open the door and let these men through!"  
  
Kaiser turned flabbergasted. What?!  
  
The guard looked indecisive for a moment. "Bishop sir? These men do not have IDs yet!"  
  
"I understand, but you can open this door." He turned to Kaiser who was simply dumbfounded.   
  
"This is the great Kaiser! Our Lord Ghenna's number one man! If we can't trust him, then who can we trust, ne Kaiser?"  
  
Kaiser nodded slowly. Holy shit this was incredible! Lady luck was still shinning on him! They still had a chance at this! The guard walked over to the control panel on the wall and typed in the series of numbers Leska picked up from him. With a slow hiss the large door began to open.   
  
"Go on Kaiser. In the hangar you can take the tram down to the Khalis. She's pumped and fueled and ready for flight! The Valkyrie is sitting right next her. She's almost finished herself. She just needs a few more tons liquid booster."  
  
Kaiser nodded. "Thank you Bishop Segas!"  
  
"Don't mention it Arch-Bishop." He replied with a smile.   
  
Kaiser nodded once more and turned to his eight.   
  
"All right! Flight, forward...March!"  
  
  
Bishop Segas smiled as the women began to walk by. He always loved new recruits. They were always so lively, so energetic. They had a vivacity that always inspired him. They-  
  
He stopped.  
  
The blonde one walking past him was turning his head away. What... The bishop cocked his head. He seemed familiar... From where...  
  
He called out. "Flight...HALT!!"  
  
As the women came to a halt they almost fell over one another. They'd been caught entirely by surprise. The Bishop walked up to the one who had been looking away and took her face and pointed it straight ahead.   
  
Now why did this guy look familiar? Who was she...  
  
  
...she?!  
  
  
His eyes lit up, suddenly in understanding. She was-  
  
"You..." he said softly. "What the hell" He turned to Kaiser. "Kaiser! KAISER!! Do you know who this is?! Hey, Hey Kaiser-"  
  
A fifty pound bag of plastic explosives slammed itself into the Bishop's head. With a cry of dismay and shock he fell to the floor. The Guard who stood to the side looked up at Kaiser with surprise.  
  
"Kaiser-sama?!" In one fell swoop he too was knocked out. Kaiser slung the sack over his shoulder again and turned to the women.  
  
"All right! Move it now! Run, run, run, run! Our game is up!!"  
  
All eight of them charged through the door and into the locker room. Kaiser made sure they were all through before turning himself to the small control panel. With a quick grunt he lifted his elbow and slammed it into it. The panel exploded shooting loose buttons and broken glass from the wall. An alarm went off some where and emergency lights that had been installed along the walls began to shine and spin. The large door Kaiser stood in front of began to close. He slipped through just as it was becoming too narrow for his body.  
  
Their game was up! It was time to move! As he started forward he felt something begin to tug on the sack on his shoulder. Turning he saw Segas, his arm though the crack in the door, holding tightly onto the satchel. Rage was stamped across his face.  
  
"Kaiser!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Nanaka ran ahead of the rest through the lockers and came to the door at the far end. To her dismay she found it locked. There was no keypad or numerical lock anywhere nearby.  
  
"Dammit!!" she cried out. "Open up! Open up Dammit!!"  
  
The rest came up behind her and came to realize just what she had.  
  
"Oh no! It's closed!"  
  
"We can't get it open!!"  
  
"The door's locked?!"  
  
"We're trapped! We can't get out!!"  
  
As Nanaka beat frantically on the door Katsumi pushed her self to the front.  
  
"Please, please everyone! Let me through!!"  
  
Satomi moved out of the way as her sister approached. That's right! She was the hacker! If anyone could get this door open it would be her.  
  
"There's no control panel, Katsumi!" Nanaka cried out. "How are we going to get through?"  
  
The hacker smiled sweetly. "All locked doors are designed to open, the trick is finding where they hid the door knob..." She leaned against the wall beside the door and began to listen. After a moment she pointed to a spot.  
  
"Someone remove the panel right here!"  
  
Aiko moved forward and grinned devilishly. "With pleasure!" Throwing her body weight into her fist she drove it into the panel in the wall. The entire panel crumpled up in her punch and wrapped itself around her hand. Pulling it free she showed everyone the thin piece of metal that was now twisted around her fist with a wide, victorious grin.  
  
Katsumi stared with shock at the hole in the wall. All the electronics and machinery that had been in there was all but destroyed. Aiko'd smashed everything in there.  
  
"AIKO! You were supposed to REMOVE the panel, not DESTROY everything behind it!!"  
  
Aiko looked dumbly from her sister to the metal panel wrapped around her fist-o-death and blushed.  
  
"Oops..."  
  
As Katsumi fumed Asuka burst out laughing. She clapped her sister on the shoulder.  
  
"Well destroyed Aiko! You killed it!"  
  
Suddenly the door began to move. With a slow hiss the locks unbolted themselves from the wall and the door slid open.  
  
"Wow," Aisha said to Katsumi. "You ARE good at getting these things open!"  
  
Before she had a chance to answer and arm shot out of the darkness. Grabbing her by her throat, Katsumi felt herself lifted from the floor. From the darkness behind the door two men, dressed totally in black, stepped out...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser held the sack as hard as he could and pulled. Segas held as tightly as he could himself. He was in extreme pain. The door was trying to close on his arm. It was being crushed. With a grunt of pain he began to tug.  
  
"What are you doing Kaiser!? What do you think you are doing?!"  
  
Kaiser grunted himself. "I'm doing what I have to do Bishop. Just like you have things to do that must be done as well."  
  
"You're forfeiting your life! You're forfeiting your future!!" He spat back. "You are betraying your kingdom Kaiser! You are betraying our father!!"  
  
Kaiser's grip loosened at bit. "I'm following my heart, Segas. I'm listening to my soul for the first time in my life! I'm freeing my self from bondage! I'm saving my daughters!!"  
  
Segas screamed in pain once more. "Listen to yourself Kaiser! Listen to what you are saying!! They are women!! They are flesh and no more! You have no daughters!! You're throwing your life away to garbage!!"  
  
Kaiser met Segas' gaze and his grip began to tighten once more. "No, Segas. NO! I'm not throwing my life away to garbage! I'm making up for my sins against them!! I'm giving my LIFE for them! I love them Segas!! They are my children, and not you, or the Black Legion, or even our Lord Ghenna will stop me!! I'm protecting them the only way I know how!!"  
  
"Kaiser, you are a fool!!"  
  
"So be IT!" With a scream he pulled with all his might. The sack tore itself from Segas' grip with an audible tear. Kaiser fell backward and landed hard. Segas cried out and using what little strength he had left in his arm pulled it free. With a dull thud the blast door came to a close. Segas brought his face up to the small window and watched as Kaiser stood up. He slung the sack over his shoulder and turned to the Bishop for the last time. He called out loud enough for him to hear through the glass.  
  
"They are my daughters, Segas. I lost them once because I would not stand for them. I destroyed their innocence because I would not defend them. Now I'll fight to take them to their happiness, wherever that lies, whenever that lies. I can't give them back what's been taken, but I can sure as, God may will, try. I guess I'm a fool, Segas. But if fate decides that I should die protecting them, sending them to their happiness, then I will stay a fool and I will die that fool."  
  
He turned and walked away. "A father must protect his own..."  
  
Segas said nothing as the Arch-Bishop walked away from him. He was damned idiot... He was a fool that was going to kill everyone...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Katsumi began to choke in the tall man's grip. He'd lifted her clear of the ground and was now staring intently at the woman. His friend was of smaller stature. His eyes glittered at the seven other women.  
  
"Well, well Kamidake. What do we have here? These wouldn't be those missing women everyone was talking about now, would they?"  
  
He jeered and pulled his face close to Satomi's. She screamed and took a stop back. The man looked like a gargoyle...   
  
"I've heard the rumors, but I never thought I would actually see one!"  
  
Kamidake took a close look at Katsumi. "They look soft to me Azaka..."  
  
  
Azaka giggled maliciously licking his lips. "I know. But don't they look tasty as well. Such beautiful little dears..."  
  
Everyone took a full step back, Krysta and Satomi two. Their combat sensors were screaming at them. These men were dangerous, almost as dangerous as Kaiser. Kamidake was strength, while his smaller partner Azaka had another combat sensor like theirs. Only thing was these men seemed to have developed their strengths to the hundredth degree. Their potential power was driving the combat sensor in the two insane.  
  
Kamidake, peered at Katsumi once more and threw her to the ground. He began wiping his hand on his uniform. "They seem dirty..."  
  
Azaka nodded. "But oh so pretty..."  
  
On the ground Katsumi was gasping for breath. Her head felt as if it had been caught in a vice. Her temples beat and her lungs burned as she greedily gasped for new, fresh air. Asuka knelt to her side and supported her up so she could breathe better.  
  
"You all right, sis?"  
  
Weakly she nodded.  
  
"I'll be fine..."  
  
Aisha turned to the men and scowled. "Let us through."  
  
The Gray Eye looked taken back for a moment. They turned to each other and began laughing. Aisha began to scowl even more.   
  
"I said let us through!!"  
  
As the men continued to laugh Aiko stepped forward. "She said let us pass!"  
  
Azaka seemed to gather himself together first and pointed at them.  
  
"You're asking us to move? Dear you are mistaken. It is you who will move, not us."  
  
Kamidake smiled. "Move onto the next plane that is!"  
  
Everyone kind of fell silent and turned to him. Azaka slapped his forehead.  
  
"That didn't even make any sense!"  
  
"But, but you know about the different levels of living and moving on to the next plane and, you know. The whole moving on thing and all. Dying... you know..."  
  
"N-no... no just, just shut up. Just shut your mouth!"  
  
Aisha shook her head. "W-what ever! Move out of our way!"  
  
Azaka walked forward and narrowed his eyes. "No."  
  
The legionnaire met her eyes and become surprised. Despite the obvious mortal danger she was in she still glared back at him defiantly. Aiko stepped forward to her sister's side.   
  
"Get out of our way, or face the consequences."  
  
Kamidake smiled down to the bold redhead.  
  
"You're going to hurt us?" He broke out laughing. "I doubt it! Come and try, baby!!"  
  
Both the girls bristled under the taunts of the men. They were being made fun of, being jeered at. Aiko moved to lunge when she felt a hand at her shoulder. She turned and met the flat eyes of Leska.  
  
"Move aside Aiko."  
  
The red head furrowed her eyebrows. "Leska?"  
  
The psychic stepped in front of both the women and stood boldly before the Gray Eye. She called to Aisha and Aiko behind her.  
  
"You two take care of the stupid one. I got the runt." She pointed to Azaka. Both the legionnaires scowled.   
  
"You're cocky girl!" Azaka said slowly. "Do you really think you can harm me all alone? I'm a Black legionnaire. I'm the best of all Gray Eye. I am an elite! You don't stand a chance. You're waaay out of your league little girly!"  
  
Aisha calmly raised her hand and pointed her palm to him.  
  
"You talk too much."  
  
Suddenly her body seemed to explode. With a flash she was consumed in flames. Her seven sisters jumped back in utter shock. What was happening?!  
  
"Leska!!"  
  
"Onee-Sama!!"  
  
Azaka jumped backward in shock and tripped. He hit the ground hard and began to back away.  
  
"What the hell?!"  
  
Leska had changed. Her entire body began to glow. She was being enveloped with fire! The clothing she wore seemed to disappear off her body. Her slim figure was enveloped in the light as Azaka watched all the details and features vanish off of her. Her face seemed to dissapear into her skin. Her entire body turned fiery red and slowly rose up from the floor.   
  
Azaka's combat system went into a tailspin inside his body. It had never seen anything like this before. Her lethality potentiality had gone from almost zero to that of an Isis Cruiser. What had happened to this woman?! What the hell was she?!  
  
Leska's body rose high from the ground. Her eyes, the only feature on her entire body that had not been wiped clean, were burning. They focused themselves onto the little Gray Eye who now cowered on the floor. Leska pointed her arm to him and spoke. When she did so, it reverberated through the minds of everyone present. Her voice was loud, booming and terrifying.  
  
"NOW...GET OUT OF OUR WAY!"  
  
Azaka cried out as he felt his body lifted from the floor. With a quick jerk of her hand she tossed his body. The Gray Eye screamed as he felt himself flung across the hallway. It was cut short as his body collided into the far wall. With a low moan he slipped into unconsciousness.   
  
Leska's body shone brighter than before for a moment and then winked out. She fell to the floor and landed smoothly. She stood back up and smiled. Her clothing and face were restored. She was exactly like she was before. Her transformation had been so sudden that everyone stood there speechless for a moment. Aisha stared at her sister a moment in utter shock. What the hell...  
  
As Kamidake gawked at the psychic Aiko turned. In one swift movement she brought her foot up solidly between his legs. Despite all his strength and power she still hit the same weak point present in all men. With a cry he grabbed at his aching unit and crossed his eyes in pain. Aiko grinned as she swung her fist through the air and connected it with the man's lower jaw. With an audible 'ping!' he flew from the ground and landed a few feet away. Aiko brushed her hands clean and put her nose up at the fallen man.   
  
"Hmph. What a waste of time."  
  
The others gathered around Leska.  
  
"Leska, are you all right?!"  
  
"What happened Onee-sama?!"  
  
"Leska-chan! What was that?!"  
  
"Oh my lord, Leska! What happened?"  
  
"Leska! What did you do!?"  
  
She smiled coyly at them and merely shook her head. Her only response was "I've been busy this past year." and refused to answer anymore questions. The two Gray Eyes were taken care of, that was all that mattered.  
  
She broke off from the rest of them and headed through the open door way.   
  
"Come on, sisters! We're in a hurry. We need to get moving here!"  
  
As they started to press forward Aisha looked around and stopped.  
  
"Wait! Where's Kaiser?"  
  
He came walking up swiftly behind them. "Right here. What happened? Where-" He paused as he saw the Gray Eyes laying unconscious on the floor ways. "You eight took out two Black Legionnaires?!"  
  
Aisha smiled over to Leska. "She helped some."  
  
Kaiser turned to her and smiled. She blushed back at him. "It was nothing, Kaiser. I just did what anyone would have done in my spot."  
  
The Arch-Bishop laughed. "I guess! Well done Leska. Let's get going. I want to be out of here before they get a chance to warn the orbital station up above!"  
  
The eight nodded. "Hai!" They said in unison.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska let go of the trembling flight technician. He fell back to the floor and scooted away. They were all gathered in the control room. Kaiser closed the door behind them and destroyed the controls on their side, effectively sealing it. Aiko had destroyed the control area on the other side, so they needn't worry about someone opening it that way. Katsumi assured him the only way they were going to get through was by cutting the door down. Leska rose and turned.  
  
"Kaiser! One of the shuttles is ready to fly. She's fully fueled and ready to launch."  
  
"Good." He nodded. "Do you know how to set up everything on this end?"  
  
"Yes, I'll be able to tell you once we're in the ship, but there's something else."  
  
Kaiser groaned. "Of course there is. What is it?"  
  
"Well... Actually there's two things?"  
  
"Yes?" Krysta asked impatiently.  
  
"First thing. There must be someone here to prep and give the OK for the launch. One of us has to stay behind inside this control room and make sure everything is set and ready to launch."  
  
"We can't just set up everything in here before we leave?" Aisha asked.  
  
Leska shook her head. "No. There are several things a pilot must confirm and Ok with the personnel inside here. Attaching the catapult to the ship for example. There must be a man in here giving the thumbs up to the pilot in the ship to attach the thing.  
  
Kaiser nodded. "I can get started now. You all get everything set up while I set up the proper order of things up here. I know how to work this machinery, I've seen this done enough in my lifetime.  
  
Leska turned her head back to the technician and scanned his mind once more.  
  
"No... No you haven't seen enough then. There's also a launch order must be given here and an OK signal sent by the ship in order to clear a launch. They have to be within twenty seconds of one another."  
  
"Well, I can run ahead and get everything set up in the ship. I'm the fastest!" Nanaka said piping up.  
  
Leska shook her head. "You wouldn't know how to send the signal. Apparently the tech here thinks that main console on the ship is a maze of buttons, levers and dials. You'd never know which one to push and what to type. No, I have to go..."  
  
"Well, Leska-chan, Let's get you going! The sooner you get there the sooner we can launch and get clear of this place."  
  
"No, Satomi we don't have the time to do that. It's a twenty minute tram ride to the ship and another twenty minutes back then a third twenty minutes going back with the one who stays behind. That's an hour we won't have. We'll be lucky to have half an hour."  
  
The rest cursed under their breath. That would mean that unless someone stayed behind they were going to have to figure out some other way to launch. Leska continued.  
  
"The second problem isn't quite as bad as the first."  
  
Kaiser looked up. "What is it?"  
  
  
"Follow me." She said leaving the control room. Kaiser turned to their hostages and made sure they were secured tightly and wouldn't escape before leaving with the rest. Leska walked into the main hangar along the side of the massive cavern and pointed out onto the ground out in the middle. The largest portion of the cavern floor was a massive pit, which was about five feet deep. From one end of the pit to the other the length measured to be almost two hundred feet. About a third of the way through a very large track ran its way through. Another ran its way parallel to the first at the two-thirds mark. The ceiling over head ended abruptly and each of the rails sloped up far into the sky. Leska pointed to the far one.   
  
"I think that rail has our bird on it. We're going to have to-"  
  
Aiko cut her off. "Leska, wait. Bird?"  
  
"Heh, sorry. I'm picking up on their lingo." She said rubbing the back of her head. "Our 'ship' is sitting on that rail. Down that tunnel..." She pointed into the inky blackness which the rails disappeared into. "...about three miles they sit. We'll be able to ride a tram to get down there."  
  
Kaiser nodded. "So what's the problem?"  
  
"There are two birds down on that end. One's being fueled while the other is ready to go. The one being fueled will take another half an hour to prep itself, but once it's ready to fly she'll be hot on our tails."  
  
Each of the women glanced at each other. This was getting better and better. Leska continued.   
  
"But I don't think that will be too big of a problem..." She turned around and pointed to the wall. In front of it was a massive storage drum. Out of the top a pipe ran its way up the wall and then along the ceiling and down into the darkness. The letters XYLICN were marked across drum. "This is a big drum of coolant. I'm not sure who the fool was who put this stupid thing here but it will solve our problem right quick."  
  
Aisha smiled. "All right... go on!"  
  
"This isn't ship coolant. It's reactor coolant! Deep below this installation is a fission reactor. In this drum is coolant that flows right up into it. Now if we ignite this all the coolant in this drum will explode... Violently! This entire hangar will be destroyed! Even more incredibly is the coolant in those pipes above us will also light up. The fire will travel down them right into the reactor. The following explosion will be of thermonuclear proportions. Everything in this area will cease to exist. The rocket shot will be gone!"  
  
Kaiser nodded impressed. Most of her sisters agreed in turn, most except Satomi.  
  
"Leska... Wouldn't that...wouldn't that kill everyone here?"  
  
Leska paused. Her face began to fall. She'd forgotten about all the people who would still be caught in the blast. Satomi was right... Aisha, Aiko, Nanaka, Krysta and Katsumi fell silent.  
  
"Oh no... We'd kill everyone."  
  
"Ahh...shit!"  
  
"Damn."  
  
Kaiser was unmoved. "It's a sound plan. We're going to go through with it."  
  
Aisha looked up shocked . "Kaiser! You can't be serious."  
  
"I am Aisha. We're here to get you out alive and safe. This is the only choice we have. We don't have any time to think about any other options."  
  
"Kaiser!! No!! No, we will not kill everyone here. There are innocents! Remember you promised!"  
  
"No, Aisha! There are no innocents. Everyone here is gunning for you. They will kill you if given half the chance! I'm not killing anyone in cold blood, I'm doing what must be done!! There is no other way."  
  
Everyone else spoke up.  
  
"So why must we fall to their level Kaiser?!"  
  
"No Kaiser, We can't do this!"  
  
"We're going to murder everyone here!"  
  
"We can't! There's no way!"  
  
"Kaiser! No! No!"  
  
He whirled on them. His face began to contort in rage. Each one saw him and fell silent.  
  
"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!!! We are HERE to get YOU EIGHT OUT OF THIS HELL!! We're here to send you all to someplace BETTER!! EVERYONE who WORKS in this station SEEKS TO DESTROY YOU!! Don't you women get it!? Don't you fucking SEE this?! We have NO other choice! There's no other way to take out that other rocket! NONE!! We don't have TIME to argue about this!! In less than thirty minutes some very, VERY angry men are going to come through here and are going to KILL YOU! We don't have time! We just don't have time..."  
  
Aisha stood stead fast. "I'm not going to participate in the deaths of everyone here in this base."   
  
Behind her everyone of her sisters followed in suit. They all crossed her arms and put their foot down.  
  
"Besides," Katsumi said softly. "How would we be able to get clear of the explosion in time? I got the impression that once you light the coolant everything will go up in flames instantly."  
  
Leska nodded in agreement. Kaiser turned to her. "Well how did you plan on getting past that in the first place?"  
  
Leska looked taken back for a moment. "Well... I was planning on using one of those timed explosives..."  
  
Kaiser shook his head and sighed. "We can't." He let the pack slide off his shoulder and reached in. He pulled out a single brick. "I think this is all we have left."  
  
Aisha blinked. "What? Just one?! I thought you brought a full load?"  
  
Kaiser knelt down, flipped the pack over and stuck his arm in through the bottom. To everyone's utter shock his hand came out the top. "A hole was torn in this thing when Segas grabbed it. I lost almost all of them in the locker area. I was in such a rush I didn't even notice them falling out. This one brick is all we have. You'll have to save this for the lab."  
  
Aiko groaned and sat down. Krysta shook her head sadly and leaned up against the wall. Aisha just smiled slightly.   
  
"See? You can't blow up this facility. We'll just have to think of something else as we head down to the ship."  
  
They all sat silently a moment. Slowly an idea found its way into Kaiser's head and began to worm around. Looking up he stared at each of the women there. He was there to make sure that each one of them escapes into the future no matter what the cost. Looking from Aisha to Leska to Aiko to Krysta he suddenly made up his mind. The answer...  
  
Kaiser stood. "No... no we're still going to blow this place up..."  
  
"What?! Kaiser there's no way we'll be able to!"  
  
He shook his head anyway. His voice suddenly dropped and he seemed to calm. "...In fact... I know how we're going to be able to solve both of our problems in on fell swoop."  
  
Everyone looked up to him. Aisha walked up to him. "...How?"  
  
Kaiser turned and began to walk back to the control room. He slumped his shoulders some and exhaled loudly. "God, I wished Lady Luck would have smiled onto me just a little bit longer. Just a few more hours, we're so close..."  
  
Aisha walked up to him and grabbed his arm. "Kaiser! How are we going to be able solve this?"  
  
He turned to her and smiled slightly. "I'm going to do everything."  
  
  
Aisha looked up at him confused. "What? What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Aisha... I'm going to give you all the OK for launch and then I'm going to blow up the coolant."  
  
Satomi stepped forward. "But Kaiser! How are you going to come up with us if you do that?!"  
  
The Arch-Bishop smiled sadly and turned around back to the control room. Leska narrowed her eyes at him a moment and then when completely white.  
  
"...Oh my God... He's not coming with us..."  
  
Aisha whirled upon her. "WHAT!?" She swallowed when she saw the expression Leska's face wore. She spun back around and grabbed Kaiser by his arm.  
  
"Kaiser!! Kaiser turn around!!" Once again he stopped and turned to her. Her previous concern about the safety of everyone else on the base evaporated. "Kaiser, You're coming with us, right? You're coming with us!! You're not- We're not letting you stay behind like that! You're going to come with me and Leska and Satomi and Krysta and Nanaka and..."  
  
He swallowed and put his hands on hers.   
  
"...and Katsumi and Aiko and we're going to live together, We're going to LIVE together, right?! We're going to go and we're going to live together, right Kaiser!? You are coming with us!! Get this notion out of your head right now because I will not accept it!!"  
  
Tears began to fill her eyes again. She looked into his eyes and saw exactly what she didn't want to see there.  
  
He shook his head. "No, Aisha. It's... Shit, it's time for us to go our separate ways... It's time for us to-"  
  
"NO!!" She broke free from his grip and backed away. "No, NoNoNoNo!!! I said NO!! NO!! I just got you BACK Kaiser!! I just got you back... We haven't even been together for three weeks!! You're not going to leave me again. You're not going to go away and leave me alone again!!"  
  
Behind her the others moved up.  
  
"Kaiser-sama... no..."  
  
"No! No, she's right Kaiser! You can't go!"  
  
"Kaiser don't you even think of leaving us!"  
  
"We're not going anywhere unless you're there with us!"  
  
"Kaiser, don't be stupid!! Don't do this!!"  
  
"Kaiser-sama...please..."  
  
Aisha began to tremble as she stood there. Kaiser felt a lump grow in his throat.  
  
"No, Aisha. No, you guys. I'm not leaving you all alone like I did before. This time it's different. You each have each other. You each have one another. You'll always have one another! Even when I... when I..." He swallowed with great difficulty and turned away.  
  
Aisha shook her head. "No, Kaiser! NO! NO! You're coming with us!! You're going to be there with us!! We were going to make a family Kaiser!! We were going to have children! We're going to live out our lives and grow old together! We were supposed to be happy Kaiser! You were supposed to STAY WITH ME!!!"  
  
The Arch-Bishop started to walk away slowly. Aisha's face grew angry. She ran up to him and spun him around.   
  
"...Oh no you don't!"  
  
She reached back with everything she had and swung with all her might. Her fist connected solidly with Kaiser. She watched him drop to one knee. Shaking his head he looked up at her in shock. Deep inside of Aisha's mind some little perverse voice was chanting.   
  
"...that's two...that's twice...I've struck down the arch-bishop twice!!..."  
  
Aisha met his eyes and everything inside of her seemed to shatter. His eyes... He couldn't be this resolute, could he?  
  
Slowly Kaiser rose back up. Everyone stood by silently and watched him take Aisha into his arms.  
  
"Aisha... I love you..."  
  
Tears started to run thick down the woman's face as she looked back up into the sad eyes of her lover. She shook her head and smiled weakly back.  
  
"I love you too Kaiser..."  
  
He smiled down to her. She continued weakly.  
  
"That's why I'm not leaving your side...That's why you and I are going to die together... If you're going to do this I want to be by your side when you do. I'm not going to let you die alone."  
  
His expression fell. Aiko, who had also started to cry stepped forward.  
  
"Me too, Kaiser. I'm not leaving your side."  
  
Krysta followed. "I'm not going to let you die alone either."  
  
Satomi walked up level with her two sisters and put her hand on Krys' shoulder.  
  
"I'm not leaving with out you."  
  
Nanaka strode up and cupped her arms around her body.   
  
"None of us are going to leave you Kaiser."  
  
Katsumi came up last. Her tears were running almost as freely as Aisha's.   
  
"None of us are going on with out you."  
  
The Arch-Bishop looked behind the group to Leska who was standing silently. He could see two drops trace themselves down her cheek. She nodded to him.  
  
'You're the only father we ever had. We're not going to leave you here to die.'  
  
Kaiser nodded slowly. He looked back down to Aisha... beautiful Aisha... and gazed into her eyes. Despite the tears that stained them they still glittered as green as the day when he first saw them. They still caught the light in that special way. The jade was still shining bright...  
  
Tears fell from his eyes and fell onto her clothes. They became as rain, dripping and falling steadily, tracing themselves down his face and falling onto his only one and true love. He held her tightly, savoring her warmth, the gentle touch of her skin, Her hair that fell like precious silk down her back...  
  
She watched him bend his head down close to hers. Their lips brushed momentarily before... before...  
  
  
Aisha closed her eyes and savored the moment in his arms. Gently they kissed. Gently their lips pressed against one another's. Gently they tasted each other. Gently they held each other. Gently she ran her hands up his back. Gently he ran his down her spine. Gently he supported her as she leaned against him. Gently...  
  
  
Gently they broke their kiss.  
  
  
Kaiser leaned back up once again gazed into her eyes. Her tears had stopped. She sniffed and smiled weakly back up at him. He slowly began to tremble in her arms and nodded. It was decided then... Gently he loosened himself from her arms and took a step back. He smiled to her and began to turn back to the control center.  
  
Behind Aisha every one of the seven began to smile. He wasn't going to stay. He was still going to come with them. He wasn't leaving-  
  
  
Faster than Aisha could follow Kaiser whirled around and brought his fist to bear. In one smooth motion he crashed it into her head. With an audible smack the other seven gasped in surprise as Aisha wordlessly fell to the floor.  
  
"Kaiser!" Satomi called out.  
  
The Arch-Bishop bent down and examined her. She was out cold. He'd knocked Aisha senseless.  
  
Aiko strode forward as Kaiser picked Aisha up in his arms. He brought her head up close to his and gently kissed her cheek, whispering softly in her ear...  
  
  
"Eye for an eye, Aisha...eye for an eye..."  
  
  
"Kaiser!! Kaiser what are you doing?!"  
  
He looked up and faced Aiko, the sadness in his eyes fully restored.  
  
"Take her Aiko..."  
  
The woman paused, a look of shock was stamped on her face. "W-what?"  
  
He held Aisha's limp form out to her.  
  
"I said take her Aiko. You're the strongest out of all of you women. I want you to take care of her. I want you to guard her, Aiko. Protect her. I won't be around to do it, and she needs someone to watch over her."  
  
Gently he deposited the woman in her arms. Aiko looked at Aisha's face, now expressionless.   
  
"N-no Kaiser..."  
  
"Please Aiko..." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I know I can trust you. I know you'll take good care of her. I believe in you."  
  
Aiko's breathing began to sob and tears came back to her eyes...  
  
"Kaiser... Kaiser no... please..."  
  
He shook his head. "I'm here to send you all away. I'm here to make sure you all will die happy and blessed. I'm letting you all go. You all will be fine after I'm gone. It is here that we shall part. There is no other way. It has to end like this for me.  
  
"You're strong Aiko, you've got a brave heart. That's why I named you Bloodberry. You're heart burns. It shines stronger and braver than anyone else's I know. I know you won't let me down..."  
  
The remaining six walked up close.  
  
"Kaiser... no please. You won't leave us! You can't..."  
  
He smiled and stroked Satomi's cheek.   
  
"We don't have a choice Satomi...This is just the way things are going to have to be..."  
  
Krysta approached him and took his hand.   
  
"Kaiser... You can't... You..."  
  
He squeezed gently. She held his hand back a moment longer before turning away and breaking out into fresh tears.  
  
Kaiser looked at each and every one of them. His vision began to haze once more as new tears filled his eyes. He nodded once...slowly... and turned to walk back into the control room. Leska's voice stopped him.   
  
"Kaiser..."  
  
He paused and glanced at her over his shoulder. Through her tears she smiled at him.   
  
"Thank you Kaiser..."  
  
He did his best to swallow the lump that had re-grown in his throat and nodded.  
  
"I love you all... When Aisha wakes up... tell her, I'm sorry I lied to her."  
  
Asuka sniffed back as best she could. "K-Kaiser?"  
  
He met her eyes for the last time.  
  
"I promised her I'd never make her cry again."  
  
He turned back and disappeared into the corridor in the wall. That was the last thing he ever said to any of them. It wasn't until they were half way through the tram ride to the ship that Satomi finally and completely broke down. He leaned against Nanaka and wept everything inside of her out. It was contagious and soon all eight of them were weeping.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska took the pilot's seat with her eyes as dry as she could have made them. She needed to pull herself together for her sisters. The pilot had been bound and brought with them just in case there was something she needed help with. It took Leska only a minute to gather enough information on what to do. They ended up stashing the man in a locker in the back of the starcraft. Painted along the nose in big bold cursive lettering was the word 'Khalis'. It was the name of the ship. Leska couldn't help but smile when she read it. It was old language for 'change'.  
  
Turning to the control panel she flipped a number of switches and felt the ship begin to warm up under her. Swallowing once more she flipped the lever activating the main compressor. Behind the ship the liquid fuel boosters began to glow. Satomi took a seat next to her in the co-pilot's seat.  
  
"Feeling better?" Leska asked her.  
  
Satomi shook her head. "No... but we've got to do this anyway. Even if everyone in this place will die because of us. I don't want Kaiser-sama to kill himself in vain. I don't want his death to be wasted."  
  
Leska shook her head once. "All right, Satomi. Let's get this show on the road then."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser sat in one of the scientist's seat and was typing commands into the control panel. This was it. This was the climax to his life. This was why he was still here on this dammed, mortal coil. This was why his friend had leaped between that one mortar and sacrificed himself to save Kaiser's life. This was why he'd never sustained a lethal injury. This was why Aisha had changed him so...  
  
He began to smile weakly. So this is what it felt like to give one's life up for another...This wass what his old, old companion had felt...  
  
He hit the return button and the rail began to prep itself for launch.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska looked out the window and saw a trail of steam move itself up the center of her tracks. Satomi saw it as well.  
  
"Leska?"  
  
"That's the catapult charging itself. When we see the steam go away we'll be ready to link up with it and launch."  
  
She looked over to her sister and pointed to her control panel.  
  
  
"I need you to do something. When I tell you to, after we've blasted ourselves clear of the tower, I want you to push this button."  
  
Satomi nodded slowly as Leska continued. "This will switch us from our liquid fuel engines over to our solid fuel boosters."  
  
"Why do we need to do that?" The smaller woman asked.  
  
"Because liquid fuel wont get us clear of Terra II's gravity and sold fuel burns way too hot. If we started with our solid fuel boosters we would blast ourselves free of the catapult and shoot ourselves right up the towers, melting it right under us. No, we have to use the liquid fuel to get us clear of the tower. The solid fuel will push us outside the... the, the blast zone this station will make..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser watched as the steam dissipated along the track. The catapult was charged. He examined the screen before him and waited for Leska to send him the OK to dock the ship with the launcher. A moment later he received it. He pushed a single button.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Beneath the Khalis a small cart pulled up. Several rungs attached themselves to the underside of the ship locking it into place. Leska felt a small tug in the ship as the machinery below made sure the launcher was secured tightly. Across her panels she received green lights. There was one last red light. Launch Authorization.  
  
"You ready Satomi?"  
  
She nodded slowly. "Yes."  
  
Leska turned around and faced the rear cabin. "Are you all locked in? We're about ready to leave this place. Everyone buckled up?"  
  
Aiko finished buckling Aisha into her seat and sat down herself. Everyone else was ready and waiting. She could see Krysta and Asuka holding hands tightly. This was it, even without Kaiser...  
  
"We're clear!" she shouted. She was afraid to actually say they were 'ready'. Truth be told none of them were. It was all they could do to sit in these seats and simply sit the ride out. None of them were ready to leave Kaiser behind. None of them were ready to do this without their Arch-Bishop. She looked behind her out the small window in the back of the cabin. She could see the wall of the hangar behind them. It was softly lit from the booster's warm up sequence. The lights from the small fires in each of the boosters gave the wall an eerie, soft golden yellow glow...  
  
She turned around and took a deep breath. Here went nothing... no... Here went everything...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser received the OK inside the control room. He smiled and nodded. Down the hallway he thought he heard a muffled boom.   
  
'They're through the first door...'  
  
He saw the command to give full launch control to Leska. He put his finger over the button. This was truly it. Everything he ever lived for amounted to this moment, one of his last, one of his greatest. A lifetime of happiness and sadness, of killing and murder, of pain and pleasure, all amounting to a single push of a single button.  
  
Kaiser smiled. It was time.   
  
  
All it took to give the order was one quick tap of his finger. The little button depressed easily under it, almost as if it was as anxious as he was to see the rocket underway.  
  
  
A moment later he'd left the control room and was moving as quickly as he could to the launch chamber. He wanted to see them off.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Inside the cabin Leska saw the last light go green on her console. She nodded slowly.   
  
"Here we go Satomi... Here we go. Watch the track. The jet of steam that's going to shoot away from us that you're going to see is the catapult launching. Brace yourself when you see it! We're going to be following right behind it!"  
  
Leska flipped up the last switch cover. Taking a deep breath she pushed the final button.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Out side, the ship lifted itself up from the ground engaging it's anti-gravity nodes. As it rose off the platform the rear boosters burst to life spraying fire and energy everywhere. Satomi watched the tracks as the ship began to move forward slowly. Suddenly a jet of steam burst out from under the ship and shot forward along the center of the track at incredible speed. A moment later the launcher caught the cart and the ship began to be pulled down the tunnel quickly matching the catapult's speed.  
  
  
Satomi felt herself smashed against her seat as the ship went from almost zero to nearly two hundred and seventy miles an hour in the space of five seconds; there was no friction holding the ship back, no friction slowing it down. She closed her eyes and began to scream as the ship blasted it self down the rail. Everything shook violently as the catapult increased in speed. Leska could barely keep her eyes open as she watched the tunnel shoot past her. Her arms were pinned to her seat, as were her legs. She heard someone scream in the cockpit and found it to be herself.   
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kaiser ran onto the platform where he had held Aisha for the last time and waited, expectantly looking down the tunnel. At first he didn't see anything. The tunnel was still pitch black. But rapidly a light began to appear. His heart skipped a beat in his chest. They launched! They launched! He stepped back and sat down bracing himself for their passing. They were going to make it! As the jet of steam shot by him he found the tears running down his face again. A moment later the rocket blasted past. With a scream louder than anything Kaiser had ever heard the ship hit the slope and tore up it at full speed passing the Arch-Bishop by almost before he knew it. With a smile he watched them scale up the vertical track.  
  
"I know you'll do it..." he said to himself. "I know you guys are going to be ok..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
With a deafening squeal the Khalis was flung clear of the edge of the rail. The ship continued to sail up into the air, but it was becoming obvious their speed was decreasing fast. Leska watched the tower fall away from them.  
  
"Satomiii!! Hit that button now!!"  
  
Her sister was almost too ill to comply. Weakly she reached out while her head spun and pushed the small button Leska showed her before. There was a sudden increase of acceleration as the rocket switched fuel loads. The entire craft shook violently as it pushed it self up into the air. It began to accelerate once more and a moment later was flying past the clouds in the sky...  
  
  
They made it. They left Terra II. They had all done it...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The former Arch-Bishop turned and slowly began to walk to the large coolant barrel. The thrill of the moment past was quickly leaving him. They were all up there on their way and he was still down here, left behind to secure their safety. As he walked he began to wonder. What were their new lives going to be like? Where would it take them? Would they always remember him... especially Aisha?  
  
From his belt he pulled out a long knife. It was the same kind as the one the given to all Gray Eye apprentices when they finally completed their rite of passage and entered the force as a full fledged warrior. He stared at the blade for a short moment letting it shine across his eyes. This little weapon was going to be part of the greatest act of killing ever done by a single Gray Eye...  
  
He swallowed once more. He remembered what he had promised to Aisha in Kisa's home.  
  
"That's twice Aisha... Twice I've lied to you..."  
  
Kaiser hefted the blade and in one smooth motion drove it into the side of the coolant tank. The sharp edge cut through the metal and almost immediately a thick blue liquid began to run out of the hole. Kaiser left the blade where it was in the side of the tank and slowly sat down next to the growing puddle of coolant on the floor. With a sigh he leaned up against the tank and let his eyes close.  
  
"Forgive me..."   
  
Down the tunnel to his left he could hear a high pitched squeal. They had finally started burning through the last door. Maybe five minutes...  
  
Kaiser shifted uncomfortably. He was sitting on something. He reached down and felt a bulge in his back pocket. He reached in and pulled out a small box. Popping the lid open he saw one cigarette. It was his last one. He smiled and pulled it out. Lighting a small match from a box in his other pocket he lit the small white cig. Mindful of the rapidly growing pool of coolant he put the match out and flung it away. Closing his eyes once more he took a long pull.  
  
He didn't always smoke. A few years ago he wouldn't touch one of them. They had a tendency to kill people. But over the course of the last year he turned to them to help calm his frayed nerves. They gave him an excuse to step outside and give his body a moment to rest. Flicking the ashes away he let his breath out. He started to chuckle a bit. 'They had a tendency to kill people...'  
  
So this was truly it. The last moments of a man about to die. A man about to kill himself. A man about to leave the world behind, about to commit suicide. He looked down with a frown and rubbed his stomach. He had butterflies.  
  
He leaned back and began to chuckle even more. Of course he did! If he didn't, then he should have been really worried. Above him a soft breeze came down from the opening to the sky. He looked up and saw the heavens. The sun had, by now, cleared well of the horizon and was tracking it's course up into the heavens. The entire hangar was quiet except for the sound of the far door being cut through down the hall. He took another puff and smiled. This wasn't too bad.   
  
Looking back up into the sky he could dimly see the rocket. It turned into a shining star rapidly receding into the vast, azure sky. He would give them a few more minutes to get well clear of the blast zone.  
  
He looked down the tunnel and let the breeze play with his hair once more. No, this wasn't bad at all. He didn't mind going like this. His only regret was Aisha.  
  
"God damn you lady luck..." he said softly. Why couldn't she have had stayed with him just for one more hour. He wanted to have at least seen Aisha off. To have at least seen her leave with his very own eyes. Poor girl... He hoped and prayed she would forgive him. Kaiser hoped she would find it in her to move on with her life and get over his loss. He knew that someday she would be happy once more. Someday she would find peace.   
  
He smiled and took another puff. Suddenly he begun to chuckle.  
  
"...Aisha."  
  
  
His mind wandered to their first trip into the desert when she showed her the world for the first time. The cave they stayed in was still very vivid in his mind. And that Lime Rose...  
  
"...I wonder what will happen to it?" He said softly thinking of that flower. "Nah, It's going to be well out of the blast radius." He smiled even wider. That Lime Rose was going to be O.K. It was going to go on living long after he finished. It was still going to see the sun set tonight. And it was going to see the sun rise the next morning. The wind was still going to gently blow through its leaves and make them flutter and tremble. It was going to bloom and show the sun it's bright, luxurious petals long after Kaiser'd gone. Right outside that little cave, out in the desert, in all the silence and peace of nature, that little flower was going to continue on.   
  
"...It's going to be all right..." He said softly. Taking another puff he began to hear something. It was soft and seemed to flowing in on the breeze... It was music. Sweet music... He closed his eyes. Once again it was the music... It seemed to fill the entire hangar. It reverberated out of the tunnel and off the walls. He smiled and let the tune begin to carry him away.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...Desperate for changing...  
...Starving for truth...  
I'm closer where I Started,  
Chasing after you...   
  
I'm falling even more in love with you...  
Letting go of all I've held onto...  
I'm standing here until you make me move...  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Inside the Khalis, Aisha slowly came awake. Aiko looked over and saw her start to move.  
  
"Aisha?"  
  
Slowly the woman came around. She was muttering below her breath.  
  
"...Kaiser...Kaiser...please...Kaiser..."  
  
Suddenly her eyes shot wide open and she jerked up.  
  
"KAISER!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Forgetting all I'm lacking,   
Completely incomplete...  
I'll take your invitation,  
You take all of me!  
  
Now, I'm falling even more in love with you,  
Letting go of all I've held onto!  
I'm standing here until you make me move!   
I'm hanging by a moment here with you!  
  
I'm living for the only thing I know!  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go!  
And I don't know what I'm diving into,  
Just hanging by a moment here with you!  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
As the music continued Kaiser grinned and let his mind wander. He began to remember Aisha and all the times he shared with her. He began to remember her face, her kiss, her touch... He began to remember their arguments, their fights, and their reconciliation's. He remembered everything since he'd first laid eyes on her...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...There's nothing left to lose!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I say you kill them all..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...There's nothing left to find!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I'd sooner die..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...There's nothing in the world,  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I want to show you the world."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...That could change my mind!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I love you..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There is nothing eeeeeelse~!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Aisha..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There is nothing eeeeeelse~!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Kaiser..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There is nothing else!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the Khalis, Aisha tore her self free from the restraints and burst from her chair. In a flash she ran up to the window in the back of the ship and saw the surface of Terra II rapidly disappearing. A moment later Aiko was up and behind her pulling her body back. Aisha screamed into the window and began to struggle, beating at the bulkheads and holding on as tightly as she could.  
  
"KAISER!! KAAAAISEEER!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Down below Kaiser looked up and opened his eyes. Someone was coming... He looked straight ahead and the entire hangar seemed to disappear. He was sitting out in the desert at that cave once more. To his left, the Lime Rose was in full bloom. Someone was walking toward him, her body glowed brightly with a soft, white light. He focused his eyes and recognized her.  
  
It was Aisha. She was smiling to him. Taking one foot in front of the other she slowly walked up to him. Her eyes were bright and her smile wide. Slowly she reached out her hand.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Desperate for changing...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kaiser smiled. "Aisha..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Starving for truth...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"KAAAAISEEEEEER!!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I'm closer to where I started...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kaiser reached out and took her hand. Gently her palm closed over his and they both smiled as tears began to slowly fall from Kaiser's cool, gray eyes. His smile filled his face...  
  
  
"...Aisha..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...Chasing after you...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
With a gentle motion, Kaiser flicked the cigarette away. In a graceful arc the burning embers sailed away from him and landed dead center in the pool of reactor coolant. A moment later the entire hangar had become an inferno.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I'm falling even more in love with you!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The fire raced up the coolant tubes...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Letting go of all I've held onto!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...and down the reactor pipes...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I'm standing here until you make me move!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...And straight into the reactor itself...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
I'm Hanging By A Moment Here With You!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
With wide eyes, Aisha saw the terrible blinding flash from the surface. Instantly she knew what had happened.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I'm LIVING for the only thing I know!!!  
I'm RUNNING and not quite sure where to go!!!  
And I don't know what I'm DIVING into!!!  
JUST HANGING BY A MOMENT HERE WITH YOU!!!  
  
JUST HANGING BY A MOMENT~!!!   
(...here with you...)  
HANGING BY A MOMENT~!!!  
(...here with you...)   
Hanging By A Moment~!!!  
  
(...Here with you...)   
Hanging by a moment here with you...  
  
~Hanging By a Moment.  
Life house  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Aiko's grip around Aisha loosened as she stared in shock out the window. Aisha had gone silent and still... Everyone had. There wasn't a single woman in the entire ship who didn't hear the explosion, or see the flash of light, or feel the ship jump from the shock wave. Aisha began to tremble and slipped out of Aiko's hold. She fell her knees and began to slump over.  
  
Everyone in the cabin heard her sobs start. Digging her fingers into the bottom of the starcraft she slowly began to wail, she didn't hold back anything at all. Aiko clutched her arms and turned away silently, letting a pair of tears fall down her face as well. Asuka held Krysta as she cried onto her. Katsumi and Nanaka wept as well, in each other's arms. Up front Leska closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Satomi began to sniff and tremble, barely managing her keep her self together.  
  
Aisha, on the other hand, fell completely apart. She dug her fingers in the cold, metallic floor and scratched deep marks into the metal, nearly screaming at the top of her lungs. Her entire frame was wracked with sobs. She cried as violently as she did loudly. Her wails and cries filled the entire ship. There wasn't anyone on board who didn't hear them. Aiko did her best just to stand there and not join her sister. At the other end she could hear both Nanaka and Katsumi weeping softly onto each other.  
  
He'd finally done it. The ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate act of devotion.  
  
Kaiser, Arch-Bishop of the Gray Eye, second under Lord Ghenna, father to eight, friend to many and love of one, was dead. All that marked his grave was the largest crater caused by man on the face of Terra II.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Finally her moans became softer, and she stopped ripping her fingers up on the floor of the cabin. As her tears began to recede, Aiko knelt down beside her sister. Aisha was on her knees hunched over the ground. Her legs tucked up underneath her and her arms spread on the ground her body still shook softly from her sobs. Taking a seat, Aiko reached out and gently began to rub her sister's back. She slowly and silently ran her hand up and down, trying her best to comfort her. She sniffed and began to call her gently.  
  
"Aisha...Aisha...Aisha..."  
  
The rest finally began to calm themselves down. As their tears dried they turned to Aisha. Everyone there knew the relationship Aisha had with Kaiser. They had been in love. They'd been closer than anyone else. Their hearts, for both the longest and shortest period of time, touched. It had been Aisha who had opened up his eyes to them. It had been Aisha whom Kaiser fell in love with. Aisha had been the reason he'd come back to them. It had been Aisha for whom he'd given his life.  
  
As Aiko continued to call her name and rub her back in comfort Aisha began to move. She began to clench her fist and curl them up around her head. Her breathing picked up and her body began to tense up. Aiko stopped when she heard her whisper some thing.   
  
"Aisha? What did you say?"  
  
Her sister's eyes opened. She spoke very softly.  
  
"I said don't call me that name..."  
  
Aiko sat up in surprise. "A-Aisha, what, what do-"  
  
Aisha threw her body up and slammed her fist in the floor. She began to scream.  
  
"DON'T CALL ME THAT NAME!! DON'T!! Don't, Aiko... Don't call me that!!"  
  
She turned to her and began to weep once more.  
  
"I don't want that name. A terrible man gave it to me. He didn't love me! He didn't love any of us!! That old BASTARD!! That old heartless man... I hate him!! I HATE HIM!!"  
  
Once more she slammed her fist into the floor.   
  
"I hate him...Aisha was his name. I don't want that name. I don't want anything to do with him. Nothing..."  
  
Aiko leaned over and put her arm around her sister. "But, but... What do you want us to call you?"  
  
The crying woman sniffed and looked up to her sister. Though her eyes were sad there was still the slightest hint of a smile on her lips.  
  
"Lime... Kaiser called me Lime once. My name is Lime...Bloodberry-chan."  
  
Aiko looked taken back for a moment. But a moment later her face softened and she smiled.  
  
"Ok... Lime."  
  
Bloodberry turned to Asuka and nodded.   
  
"How about you... Tiger?"  
  
Tiger sniffed and nodded, starting to chuckle. "How about you Rose?"  
  
Katsumi looked up. "And you Panta?"  
  
Nanaka smiled. "What do you say Luchs?"  
  
Krysta wiped her tears away and smiled herself. She called to up front where Leska and Satomi listening to what they were saying.  
  
"How about you Cherry?"  
  
She smiled and let out a short laugh wiping her own eyes dry.  
  
"Well, Jade?"  
  
Leska narrowed her eyes and nodded. "So this is what we're going to do then. We'll take the names Kaiser gave us at that Auction. We're going to carry a piece of him with us for the rest of our lives. We're going to take something that he gave us and hold it close to our hearts until the day we die." She leaned around the pilot's chair and smiled at Lime, still kneeling on the floor in Bloodberry's arms.  
  
"So be it Lime!"  
  
Lime smiled and wiped her face dry. They'd all lost someone important, someone who had touched each of them, someone who had been their only father, friend and love. They were going to carry him around in their hearts for the rest of their lives. They were going to take the names he had given them in the worst period of their lives. They were going to remember him forever by taking those names as their own. No longer were they Aisha, Satomi and Katsumi; names given to women by an old man who cared for nothing more than the offspring they would bear. They were now Lime, Cherry, Rose, Tiger, Bloodberry, Panta, Jade and Luchs; Names given to them by one of the only men who ever cared for any of them; For the only man that had been their father.  
  
Jade turned forward once more and pointed. There was a bright star coming up in the distance.  
  
"Do you see that everyone? Do you see that star? That's where Kaiser wanted us to go! That's where he took his own life for us to reach. That star right there!"  
  
She turned her seat around and stood up. Emboldened by Lime she began to speak.  
  
"Kaiser is gone! He'll never come back to us. But in his passing he has left us a window of opportunity. He has opened the last door we need to escape this hell. He died so that we all could live happily together one day. That station is our key.  
  
"From the pilot I read I found they have a legion of Gray Eye stationed there. All their doors have security locks on them. There is an inner lab we need to break into. There are armed guards, gunpoints and passageways we will have to negotiate to reach those labs! Resistance will be thick and they will fight for every inch of ground they own.   
  
"But they don't have something we have. They don't have our determination. They don't have our strength. They don't have our will. Over three years ago Lime fell! She dropped to the ground with a body broken by Kaiser. But every time she felt herself collapse she rose again. Like a phoenix she rose from her ashes and stood back up once more to defy him. She didn't lie down until she'd hit him that once. She was fighting in there not only for herself, but for everyone of us.  
  
"Now we've got to stand! They've killed Kaiser and knocked our feet out from under us and now we risk not standing once more. But we won't let Kaiser's death be in vain! We won't allow what he did for us to go to waste.   
  
"We are going to break into that station! We are going fight our way to the labs! We are going to send ourselves to a home outside of Ghenna's reach! We are going to do this together. Come hell or high water we are going to accomplish this, or we will die trying!"  
  
She clenched her teeth and fist as she said this. Her, normally flat eyes alight with fire coming from deep in her soul.  
  
"Are we in this?"  
  
She said putting her hand forward. There wasn't anyone there who didn't join hers. They all looked from one another with a fresh new fire in their eyes. They were going to fight until the end to save their lives. Kaiser opened the door. Now they had to step through.  
  
Lime's sad eyes had now grown fierce. "Let's get this done then! Let's give them a shock they won't ever forget!"  
  
Everyone's eyes met and they all nodded. It was set!  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
[THE FOLLOWING TRANSCRIPTS ARE FROM THE MESSAGE RELAY CENTER, ISIS STAR STATION IN HIGH ORBIT AROUND TERRA II ]  
][DATE: 12/23/223 TTDS][  
]][TIME: 8:42 TTTS][[  
  
"Alpha one this is HQ, do you copy, over?"  
"HQ, this is Alpha leader. I read you over?"  
"What is your current status Alpha One, over?"  
"HQ, Area is clear over."  
"Copy that. Beta Seven, this is HQ, over."  
"Beta leader, I read, over."  
"Beta leader what's your status, over?"  
"Sector is clear, HQ. The Khalis is docking into air lock Nine and we are waiting for the pilots to emerge with their cargo, over."  
"Roger that. Lambda five, This is HQ. Do you read, over?"  
"This is Lambda leader. I read, over."  
"Lambda leader, what's your status?"  
"HQ, Sector is all clear, over."  
"Roger Lambda Leader. Gamma team, do you-"  
"Beta Leader to H.Q!! Beta Leader to H.Q!! Do you copy, over?!"  
"Beta Leader, this is H.Q. We read, over."  
"H.Q! The pilots from the Khalis have begun attacking us!!"  
"What... Say again Beta Leader?"  
[Sounds of shots being fired in background.]  
"H.Q! Beta docks are under attack! I repeat Beta Docks are under fire from the Khalis! Her pilots have begun firing upon us! Over."  
"Roger that Beta Leader, sit tight. Reinforcements are on their way. This is H.Q. to all available units, repeat all available units. Beta Docks have come under fire from the cargo ship Khalis! All units proceed to Beta Docks and give supporting fire. I repeat once more, every available unit proceed to Beta Docks and neutralize the threat. Over."  
"Lambda Team, Aye."  
"Alpha One, Aye."  
"Gamma team, Aye."  
"Delta Team, Aye."  
"Gray Eyes, We will be there."  
"Epsilon Team, Will do-"  
"H.Q!! Beta Team to H.Q.!! They're engaging the weapon array on the Khalis! I repeat they are using the starship's weapon array on us! They've brought the main cannons online! Request- [SCREEEEEEEECHKA!!!]"  
[Radio Silence from Beta Team.]  
"Beta Team say again, Your transmission was cut off. Beta Team, repeat your last transmission, over! ...Beta Team, Respond!"  
[Static]  
"All right... All units, this is H.Q. We've lost all communication with Beta Team. All units stand by and wait for further orders. We have to assess this situation properly."  
"Alpha, Aye."  
"Epsilon, Aye."  
"Gamma, Aye."  
"Delta, Aye."  
"Gray Eyes, we will comply."  
"Lambda, Will do."  
[There is radio silence for almost two minutes. Officials in security headquarters wait and discuss what the proper course of action would be now.]  
"...H.Q.! H.Q. This is Lambda sector! Do you copy, over?"  
"Roger, Lambda. What's your situation?"  
"H.Q., a cargo elevator from Beta Docks is rising right up into our sector! We have a cargo elevator from Beta Docks inbound for our sector!"  
"Roger Lambda team! All units proceed to Lambda elevator landing point! It looks like these are the rogue pilots! Let's take them down."  
"Roger!"  
"Copy that."  
"In bound."  
"We will move."  
"Aye."  
"Consider us there."  
"Lambda team, this is H.Q. Reinforcements are on the way. Could you give us the E.T.A. for their arrival?"  
"H.Q. you got ten seconds! They're right on top of us!"  
"Roger that, Lambda team! Keep them pinned down in the elevator! Don't let them loose! Gray Eyes are on their way!"  
"Copy, tell them to hurry up! ...Shit here they come! Lambda team, hold tight! When those doors open well let loose with everything we have!!"  
[Radio Silence for a moment.]  
"Doors are opening! FIRE!!"  
[The sound of gunfire can be heard. It's almost deafening.]  
"What...What the hell... Hold your fire! HOLD YOUR FIRE!! There's no one in there!! It's empty! W-where the hell did they... SHIT, GRENADES!!! Everyone duck and- [Lambda One's voice is drowned out by a massive explosion.]  
[Momentary radio silence]  
"God Dammit! H.Q., this is Epsilon team! What the hell was that!! It we felt it all the way down here in our sector!!!"  
"Epsilon, We don't know. We felt it all the way up here though. Lambda Team called out a grenade alert just before the blast."  
"H.Q., this is Delta Team. That's one hell of a grenade, we all felt it here in the labs!"  
"Roger that."  
"[cough] [cough] H.Q., [cough] H.Q. This is Lambda one... They took off right past us! They ran right through our forces after the blast. I just caught them out of the corner of my eyes! [cough]"  
"Lambda, this is H.Q., What was that explosion?"  
"H.Q., you guy's better get a fire fighting team down here, That grenade blew a gas line! Those of us who haven't been burned are getting fried now! We're pulling back and attempting pursuit, I think they've moved into the lounge and the recreation area."  
"Roger Lambda. Did you get a clear view of them? Do you know their numbers?"  
"[cough] [cough] At least four! I think I might have seen a few more, but I can't be sure."  
"Copy, Proceed out! All other units, be advised. The intruders have made it past Lambda team and are proceeding into Gamma Sector. They have explosives most likely garnered from Beta Team. All units be aware these guys know what they are doing. They cleared through two security divisions and are proceeding to a third! They are to be regarded as hostile and extremely dangerous. All caution and force should be used to when containing them."  
"Headquarters, this is the Gray Eyes."  
"Aye Gray Eye, what is it?"  
"We have a problem here. The way into Lambda sector no longer exists."  
"What? Say again Gray Eyes."  
"The corridor into Lambda Sector is blocked by debris. The tunnel ahead has collapsed. We can smell gas in the air. We are proceeding out and trying the exit in Alpha Sector."  
"Gray Eyes, that is a ten minute run. Proceed quickly!"  
"Worry about containing them in Gamma. If they escape into the labs we'll be held up for another fifteen while we make our way through them."  
"Roger. Alert to all, Gray Eyes are en route to through Alpha Sector. Let's contain them until they arrive!"  
"H.Q. this is Delta. What the hell do you mean through Alpha Sector? That's a fifteen minute march!"  
"Ten, Delta one. Apparently the Lambda exit collapsed in the explosion. Rotten luck I guess. They smelled gas and decided to deploy through Alpha sector."  
"Roger, H.Q. We'll wait."  
"H.Q.! Gamma Team here! We've encountered the intruders! They're in Rec. Lounge 5! Jesus Christ, they're fast! Two of them were upon us in a flash and the rest slipped by while we were busy with them. God damn, they move like Gray Eye!"  
"Gamma one, did you get a count of how many there was?"  
"I saw at least seven or eight, maybe nine!"  
"Lambda, this is the Gray Eyes. You said they move like us?"  
"Oh hell, they did! I almost thought it were you guys attacking!"  
"Did you get a good look at them?"  
"Negative. They were in full capsule suits. Their helmets were pulled down."  
"Bahakana!"  
"All right you two, concentrate on the objective at hand. Gamma team follow the intruders as well as you can. Gray Eyes, hurry to Gamma Sector. We don't know how long Gamma and Lambda will be able to hold them down."  
"H.Q., they have nowhere to go from Gamma sector."  
"Gamma team this is Delta. Negative, They can move right into our sector."  
"I doubt it, They don't have the pass codes to the door locks."  
"Regardless, there's still that chance! H.Q. to all units, hurry up to Gamma Sector! We need to contain them there!"  
"Roger H.Q."  
"H.Q., this is Gamma one! We turned the first corner we came to and ran right into them! They've holed themselves right up in the Rec. Room. They've barricaded the way and are holding their positions!!"  
"Roger, Gamma one! H.Q. to all units, you know where to proceed to. Delta team hold fast. We believe you might be seeing some action soon. Gamma one, can you rush them and break through?"  
"Negative, they've set up defenses and fortified them. They're shooting at us through them. Duran and Freeman reported seeing hostages behind those barricades. They were Delta Sector science teams on break apparently."  
"Copy. All units proceed to Gamma's containment point. Alpha team can you make it to Gamma Science Sector entrance?"  
"H.Q. this is Alpha One. Consider us there."  
[Radio Silence ensues for the next ten minutes as all units proceed to Gamma Sector. Apart from standard reporting in, there are no relevant transmissions.]  
"H.Q., This is the Gray Eyes. We've reached Gamma sector. We are at the entrance to Recreation Room one."  
"H.Q. to Gray Eyes, we copy. Can you move in?"  
"They'll never know what hit them. Gray Eye moving out."  
"H.Q. to all units at Gamma point, prepare to back up The Gray Eyes as they move."  
"Aye."  
"Roger that."  
[there is a moment of silence once more.]  
"H.Q. this is Gray Eyes. We have a situation."  
"H.Q. here, proceed?"  
"We've cleared their barricade and found the science team, they were Delta Sector, but the intruders are missing."  
"Repeat again? They're missing?"  
"They are not here. The intruders seemed to have vanished. We are pulling out to search for them."  
"Roger that Gray Eyes. Any idea how they got out?"  
"Negative. It's like they upped and vanished..."  
"Allright, all squads disperse from Gamma zone. Find those intruders!!"  
"Roger H.Q."  
"Aye, aye."  
"Copy tha-."  
"[Sounds of strong gunfire in the background.] H.Q., H.Q., this is Epsilon team!! Jesus, they're right on top of us! They came right out of the fucking ventilation system!! I repeat they came straight through the air vents!"  
"Epsilon team, where are you?! Give us your location, now!"  
"Oh, my god! They came right through the fucking vents!! They're all over us, we can't hold them back!! They're breaking through, they're breaking through!! Oh shit!! Oh Shiiiiit!! Game over man!! Game ove- AAAAGH!!" [static]  
"Epsilon Team, do you copy, over? Epsilon team respond! Dammit! H.Q. to all units, does anyone know where Epsilon team was last located?"  
"Lambda One to H.Q., If Epsilon was heading for Gamma, they would have had to travel through Alpha Territory."  
"Gamma one to all, What the hell is in Alpha territory? Why the hell would the intruders move there?"  
"Alpha One to Gamma One, Just the fucking Alpha entrance to the Science Labs!! They're heading for that entrance! All teams pull out and get over there! They want to get into the science labs!!"  
"H.Q. to all, All units move to Alpha Science Sector Air Lock! Delta Team, move yourselves down to there now! It appears they want something in the labs!! Everyone Move!!"  
"God almighty, This is Alpha One to Gamma One. Gamma are you sure you didn't see any of Beta Sectors technicians tagging along with them?"  
"No, I'm positive, over."  
"Well how the hell do they know where to go? I mean the fucking vent system?! How in hell did they manage to navigate that space?!"  
"To H.Q., this is the Gray Eyes. We are coming together and rendezvousing at The Alpha Lock. Give us three minutes."  
"H.Q. to Gray Eye, you have less time than that. Someone's typing in a password at the lock. It's checking the password now!"  
"They are already at the lock? Bloody hell, they do move like us! Can you keep them occupied?"  
"Negative, the computer just gave them clearance!! They're getting through!!"  
"Alpha One to H.Q., who the hell gave them the clearance codes?!"  
"Hell if we know, Alpha One! Delta Team, are you in position?"  
"Negative! We're en route still!"  
"God Dammit!! They've got access to the labs!! They're in, I repeat they are in the Labs! Every available unit get into those Labs from whichever entrance is closest! We must dispose of them! Delta Team, hunt them down and find them!"  
"H.Q.! Can you track them through the lab with the monitoring equipment? We need to know where to block them off!"  
"Roger, We can. The monitors set up in there will give us the edge."  
"Copy, then move it! Start tracking!"  
"All right Delta, We're getting our signals... now! ...Ok, H.Q to Delta, they're heading through the research area. Delta, follow your corridor to your left and you should run into them. They're heading that way."  
"Roger. [in background] All right team, to the left!"  
"All right Delta... They're heading right for you..."  
"H.Q. this is The Gray Eyes. We're entering the Lab now. We'll follow close behind and track them."  
"Roger that, Gray Eyes... D-Delta Team! They're turning around!"  
"H.Q., What?! Say again?"  
"Delta team the intruders have turned around they're heading back up the corridor!"  
"What?! Why?!"  
"We don't know, we're tracking movement back up the corridor. They're no longer heading in your direction! They're heading back to the junction."  
"Roger, We're in pursuit!"  
"Delta team, it is us. We'll be moving in on their position momentarily. If we pinch them in prepare for a fire fight."  
"Roger, Gray Eyes. Hurry up. They run faster than us!"  
"Delta this is H.Q. They've reached the junction, they're turning up the west path."  
"That'll take them to the experimentation labs. That's over by Gamma sector."  
"Everyone, this is Lambda Team. We're still up here by Gamma entrance. We'll head in and move through to intercept them. We got a score to settle."  
"Don't let it get in the way of your judgment. Just kill them. All teams have been authorized to use lethal force. Shoot to kill!"  
"Roger."  
"Copy."  
"With pleasure."  
"We will comply."   
"All right. Gray Eyes, when you reach the junction ahead follow the west tunnel. You'll be hot on their tails."  
"Where will this take us, headquarters?"  
"That'll take you past Lambda's position and into the prototype lab."  
"Sheikana! Lambda will not be able to keep them back! These intruders, they are swift of feet. We won't be able to catch up to them."  
"Lambda's team should be able to slow them up enough for you to meet up with them."  
"Negative headquarters. They will be no more than a light distraction. All of us can tell. These people have to have our training and our skeletons. They move far too fast for normal men."  
"Are you sure of this Gray Eyes?"  
"We don't have a doubt."  
"This is Delta, you got that right! They're like fucking ghosts!"  
"Headquarters? Isn't there a large blast door that will seal prototype off from us?"  
"...Shit! There is. It's designed to seal the lab from the outside world. When the time equipment is activated the door will close and seal itself. No one and nothing will be able to enter it."  
"So they will be free to move and use the equipment as they see fit."  
"Yes, there's no way to open that door from the outside. Arch-Bishop Kaiser designed the system. If he and the best hacking elite's weren't able to break in then no one will be able to. You can't even cut through the door unless you have a high yield Ticyium laser. The door's made of a much stronger and more durable version of the same material used in your skeletons."  
"Will we be able to cut their power?"  
"Yes and no. Yes it is possible. The lab is powered by its own reactor that's sealed in with the equipment. But the coolant lines run outside that sealed zone. If you wanted to cut them you could. The reactor would realize it was over heating and automatically shut itself down. However we'll loose any and all data in those equipment. It's a safety protocol. The science teams, as well as Lord Ghenna, will crucify us for proceeding with that action. We'll lose all the data stored in those labs! Lambda team, ready yourself. They're almost on you!"  
"Lambda team to H.Q. Rest easy, we got them. Ready troops!"  
"..."  
"..."  
"..."  
[for less than a minute there is radio silence. Headquarters breaks it.]  
  
"Dammit, Lambda team's down! Everyone head for the prototype lab! It looks like they're going to secure themselves in there!"  
"Gray Eyes to all units. There is a large blast door that will seal off the prototype lab. When the equipment inside is activated that door will seal itself locking us out. We have to break through and take them before they get their chance to activate the equipment."  
"This is Delta One. What makes you so sure they're going to be able to activate that equipment. Only science personnel are be able to."  
"Delta one, they knew the pass codes to the security doors. I strongly doubt anyone this good and anyone with this kind of classified information would know every single detail about the station and the labs only to reach their goals in the lab and not know how to use the equipment."  
"To all units, this is H.Q. ...They've infiltrated the labs. We've lost all contact with them. It's only a matter of time now. The Gray Eyes are correct. We need to take our labs back before they get a chance to activate the machinery. The Head of the Science department tells us it takes ten minutes to power and prime the equipment. Keep in mind, none of the machinery in there is cold, so it will probably take them even less. We need to hurry.  
"One last thing all units. You will be firing into a sensitive equipment lab. There is a large steel wall inside the door forming the hallway between the inner lab and the outer hull of the lab. However it is not advised that units use any laser weapons. Those may burn through that shield and destroy some of the equipment. Use only small to medium arms. We want bullets not blasts. All units copy?"  
"Alpha team, roger."  
"Delta team, copy."  
"Gamma team, roger that."  
"Gray eyes, We will comply."  
"Good, now everyone take that lab back! Time is very limited! Be careful! H.Q. out!"  
  
][[END TRANSMISSION]][  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime spat as she took aim down the dark corridor and fired. The enemy was using bullets instead of laser fire, and for that she was thankful. Laser blasts would have killed them long since. Along the right side of her head was a shallow furrow where a bullet had grazed her. It was bleeding openly down the side of her face, getting in her eyes causing them to burn. Had that been a laser bolt the heat would have scrambled her brains instantly. They'd removed their helmets upon entering the labs. They were becoming too much of a burden to carry around.  
  
Lime sat back beside the gaping entrance to the lab while Bloodberry, on the other side of the door, took over firing down the hallway. Neither of them were shooting to kill. There was no need to. They just needed to hold the whole of the forces back until Jade could activate the door and close it. Lime pulled out a yellow bandanna she'd stolen from one of the tech workers when they first landed. It was the kind that was stain proof, used to wipe hands free from grease and oil. All you had to do was wash it out and it was like new. With a small grunt she wrapped the thing around her head tightly.   
  
"Hey Jade!" She yelled into the lab. "Get these doors closed! Do what ever it takes, but shut them! We're running out of ammunition!"  
  
She hoisted her rifle once more and peeked out the side of the door. It's design was very similar to that of an M16, except the bullets it fired were sliced on their tips to shatter upon impact and the barrel had been shortened slightly. Raising it and taking aim she fired. This would keep them down...  
  
Bloodberry ducked back undercover and reloaded. The damn arms locker in the Khalis didn't have very many bullets. They'd grabbed what they could from the various squads they ran into as they moved along. Jade always knew when they were going to run into one and when they weren't. They never saw the guards unless they wanted to run into them except the last time when they had no choice. Jade had done a wonderful job of getting them this far. It was incredible they had gotten to this point. Bloodberry hoped that she would continue and get the last blast door closed before they were overrun.  
  
  
Behind the blast shield, in the lab, Cherry rubbed her hand painfully. When they'd surprised the one squad after they traveled through the air ducts she come down near a man screaming wildly into a radio and firing almost blindly. She'd given him a quick chop to knock him out, but didn't expect his head to be as hard as it had been. While she'd knocked him clean out she'd also hurt her hand. Grimacing slightly she set back to work.   
  
  
"Ok, Jade, this system's telling me it's ready."  
  
Jade nodded quickly as she moved from control panel to control panel.   
  
"All right, when we get the main cylinders on-line that door will close and we can slow down some. They aren't going to pull the plug on us, the information contained in these machines will die if they do. Once that door is closed..." she ran to the far panel and flipped a few more switches. "...We'll be safe."  
  
Tiger, Luchs, Panta, Cherry, and Rose all stood by their respective stations. Jade quickly showed them what to do in order to get the machinery fully up and running. Each of them eyed their gauges and switches intently. In front of them was a platform behind a large glass shield. Encircling it was a massive glass tube up near the top of the shield. At each of the corners were four Tesla coils standing almost seven feet tall. At intervals around the circular platform were small, thin, triangular nodes that seemed to reach up and curl inwards to the platform like fingers starting to close around the platform. This was the main launching pad. It was here they were going to stand and be flung through time.  
  
Jade smiled as she began to hear something start to hum. She'd restored power to the main system. All she had to do now was take all the equipment out of standby and power it up. All she needed was one cylinder out of the five charged and primed in order for the blast door to close. The lovely scientists in the lounge had known everything there was to know about running the machinery in the lab. Tiger looked up.  
  
"Jade, this system's powering up. My meter is starting to rise."  
  
Luchs looked up and nodded. "Me too. This system's charging itself as well."  
  
Jade laughed. "Sounds good. Panta, Rose, tell me when you guys have power as well. As soon as you do we can start one of the cylinders and close that door!"  
  
"Aye!"  
  
"All right Onee-sama."  
  
  
Lime ducked back into cover and began to reload once more. Shit! Three clips left...   
  
"HURRY UP JADE!! WE DON'T HAVE TIME!!"  
  
  
Jade moved swiftly from console to console flipping a switch here and turning a knob there moving with grace and fluidity. Rose began to smile.  
  
"I'm getting power."  
  
One more...  
  
  
Bloodberry slumped back down and slipped the clip free from her rifle. Firefights with the Gray Eye were no fun. She looked up and saw bullets scoring themselves into the metallic shield. Well, it looks like this is it. Either this door closes soon or they'll be overrun and stopped right in front of their goal. Slapping another clip into place she turned around and peeked out to fire.  
  
  
Jade went to the last control panel and flipped a small red switch. Turning a knob to its max she grinned and looked over to Cherry. Cherry began to smile as well.  
"We've got power over here! My meter is moving! It's moving!!"  
  
With a small laugh Jade spun back around to the control panel and typed in a single command into the screen. With a rumble and a slight shaking of the floor she powered up the first cylinder.  
  
  
Lime felt the ground start to shake a bit and looked up. The large blast door was starting lower itself. She smiled and sat up turning around.  
  
"Jade! You did it!! The door's closing! We've done-" [zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTHPBT]  
  
  
Bloodberry saw Lime fall to the ground out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see her lying with her eyes closed in a pool of blood rapidly pooling under her head. Instantly she remembered her promise to Kaiser.  
  
"Oh shit, LIME!!" Heedless of the bullets she dashed out and in one quick motion lifted her body from the floor and ran back under the cover. The large blast door was about halfway closed by now. Bloodberry turned her sister over and began to examine here.  
  
"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit..." She repeated. Lime was unconscious... unconscious or dead...  
  
Suddenly a noise caused her to look up. A soldier grinning evilly was lying flat on his stomach looking at her just below where the door had yet to descend. In his hand was a pistol.  
  
In one smooth motion Bloodberry kicked out violently and caught the man right in the face. With a cry of pain his head and most of his upper body were lifted from the floor. He lost his aim and fired the gun once wildly.   
  
  
"BakaYERO!!" She screamed as he brought her foot around and second time and once more caught the man full in the face. This time she sent him flying. Ducking back under cover just in time to avoid the hell storm of bullets, she went back to Lime.   
  
  
Within moments the door closed completely and all eight women were sealed into the testing chamber. There was no longer any going back. There were no more chances for surrender. The road lay open for them. They were going to make it.  
  
  
The six behind the blast shield stopped cheering and celebrating when the heard Bloodberry screaming out to them. They ran to the front and saw her cradling her sister in her arms and crying loudly.  
  
  
"They killed her!! They killed Lime!! They shot her!! She's DEAD!!"  
  
  
Tiger went pale. Luchs and Panta looked dumbly at her in obvious shock. Rose clasped her hand over her mouth and Jade took a step back...  
  
  
...no...  
  
  
Cherry rushed forward and knelt by Bloodberry. No, it couldn't be possible! Lime had gotten them this far. It was for her Kaiser had sacrificed himself. She'd been the reason he'd come back to all of them. Lime had been the one to touch Kaiser's heart when no one else could. She'd been the only one to defy him and rise again on her own two feet. She'd helped earn Jade's trust and bring all the women together. She was the first person Cherry had ever met.  
  
...And now she was gone?  
  
No, it couldn't be true! Not this close to their goal, not this close to the happiness and safety they were seeking!! She couldn't be dead! She just couldn't!! This was all for her!  
  
Cherry gently took Lime from Bloodberry's trembling hands and rested her on her own lap. There was no way... there was no way... there was no way... there was...  
  
Cherry narrowed her eyes...  
  
...There was no way...  
  
Bloodberry was surprised when Cherry began to laugh. She looked up to find her sister cradling Aisha's body and smiling widely. Everyone else stopped and looked up as well. Cherry grinned and held Lime up. There were tears of relief coming from her eyes.  
  
"Lime's ok! She going to be Ok!!"  
  
Bloodberry sat up. "What?! She's not..."  
  
"No, look!" she said holding her sister up to Bloodberry. "It was a bullet. It grazed her skull. She's unconscious, that's all! Oh, lord this is her second wound! Look, here's an older one." She looked up and smiled to everyone.  
  
"They can't kill our Lime, try as they might! Twice they nicked her, both in the head no less!"  
  
Bloodberry sat back and nearly collapsed.  
  
"Oh my god... I thought... I thought.... I, I saw all that blood and saw she wasn't moving and, and I thought... that..."  
  
She swallowed nervously and rubbed a hand across her face.  
  
Cherry smiled. "No, This cut's deep but it's nothing serious! She's going to be all right!"  
  
As Luchs collapsed against the wall and slowly slid to her feet in relief, Jade looked down and smiled.  
  
"Then we're just about ready to launch."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Panta, Luchs and Tiger held their sisters for the last time. There were a few tears as they said their final good-byes. It was decided that Panta and Luchs would stay together, they were closest to each other after all. Cherry and Lime along with Jade and Rose would also share the same decision. However Bloodberry and Tiger had to be broken up. Bloodberry told her sister that she had vowed to Kaiser that she would keep and protect Lime. She had that obligation to keep up, it was his dying wish. Tiger understood.  
  
They held each other tightly for the last time. Jade told them that the science team thought it would be unsafe to send to send anymore than three people at a time. Tiger would ride along with Panta and Luchs and it so happened they were the first ones to leave.  
  
Bloodberry let go of her sister and they stood apart from one another wiping their eyes.  
  
"I'm going to miss you Onee-chan..."  
  
"Heh, Bloodberry... I'm sure our paths will cross again someday."  
  
"I know they will..." she said smiling. "Goodbye Tiger."  
  
  
"Goodbye Bloodberry." Tiger turned and began to walk onto the platform where Luchs and Panta were waiting. She stopped and looked over her shoulder to Bloodberry once more.  
  
"Hey, keep your nose clean, all right? I don't want to come back and see you ten, twenty years down the line like I did when Kaiser dragged your skanky ass back to us in the desert!"  
  
Bloodberry chuckled and shook her head. "Sayonara, Onee-chan. Stay good."  
  
Tiger smiled and climbed the platform. Each of them took the other's hand and formed a ring. Tiger smiled to each of them.  
  
"We ready?" Panta and Luchs returned the smiles and nodded. They turned to Bloodberry and Cherry standing by watching them.  
  
"Bye bye you two! I want you to take care of Lime! Nurse her back to full health!"  
  
"Sayonara, Bloodberry, Cherry! Hopefully we'll see you soon!! Stay healthy!!"  
  
Both of the women standing by smiled.   
  
"We will!"  
  
"So long you three! Be happy where ever you are!"  
  
  
Jade and Rose worked the controls for the final stage of the trip. With a low groan the last of the cylinders began to come online. Turning, they watched the time machine power up. Each of the five triangles that circled the plat form began to slowly rotate around it. The four Tesla Coils began to charge as well. They were beginning to spark and shock. With amazement, the three women on the platform watched the machinery power up around them. This was really and truly it! This was what they had come here to do! They were going away. They weren't sure where, but were glad to be heading there any way. With a smile they watched the machinery charge. To the future!  
  
The finger-like triangles began to spin around the platform faster and faster. Soon they were moving so fast it was like staring into the blades of a fan turned on full. They went by in a faded blur. A strong wind began to circulate around the lab as the machinery stirred and kicked the air around. The Tesla Coils suddenly lit up and sparks jumped up into the tube above. Everyone watched in amazement as a giant bolt of electricity filled the tube. The entire tube that ringed the whole platform above lit up brightly casting a light blue light across the entire lab.   
  
As the 'fingers' finally reached their max rotation speed, lightning began to jump from the tube above and the coils below into them. Slowly they began to emit an even stronger, darker blue light. Cherry squinted as the stronger light began to shine even brighter. The lights had become a circular blur around the three women encasing them on the platform. It was like they were surrounded by a large, glowing ring. Bloodberry watched them on the platform through her fingers and, for the last time, briefly met eyes with Tiger.  
  
  
'...So long Onee-sama..."  
  
  
Finally four massive lighting bolts rose from the Tesla Coils and into the tube above, then, in an explosion of energy, the tube shot a massive sheet of electricity cascading straight down onto the rotating 'fingers'. In a flash of light and deafening sound there was an explosion. Bloodberry turned her head and looked away and felt a force hit her and caused her to stumble back a bit.  
  
A second later the light was gone as was the noise. Bloodberry looked up to see the 'fingers' slowly begin to wind themselves down. The Tesla Coils were silent and the tube above filled with nothing at all. The platform, where three women had been standing not a moment earlier, was empty. The machinery had worked. They'd been sent into the future...  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Jade smiled softly as she held her sisters.  
  
"I'm going to miss you guys."  
  
Their turn had finally come. Bloodberry nodded. "We know. Wherever you end up, be sure to try and look us up, all right?"  
  
  
Rose giggled. "Whatever you say Bloodberry!"  
  
Cherry smiled as well. "I know our paths will meet again some time. I don't think this is the end."  
  
Jade nodded. "I know this isn't the end. We're going to be with each other once again someday."  
  
Rose sniffed and nodded. "You three please take care of yourselves. Don't get yourselves hurt, or even worse, killed."  
  
"Ha!" Bloodberry smiled foolishly. "Me? Get in trouble? Where do you get this nonsense! Everyone knows Cherry's the real trouble maker here, eh?"  
  
Cherry frowned and shot an evil eye up to her sister. "Whatever you say, Bloodberry..."  
  
Jade closed her eyes and began to laugh. "Just be careful with yourself, you two. Don't get yourselves hurt! I wanna see you three again sometime."  
  
  
She walked over to Lime cradled in Bloodberry's arms and kissed her softly on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you Lime. You pulled us through all this. We would have been lost without you. Wake up happy, Onee-chan. Wake up happy and embrace your new world."  
  
Rose walked up and did the same to her.  
  
"Goodbye, Lime-chan. I want to see you again someday, smiling widely. Be safe, wherever you go..."  
  
They separated and each moved to their respective posts. Cherry, Bloodberry and Lime all were on the platform. Jade and Rose took their stations at the console of the time machine. Jade looked over at the three and smiled.  
  
"Don't ever forget about us, you two! Don't ever forget who you really are and what happened to all of us. We're sisters, we're the only sisters this planet has ever seen. Blood is thicker than water. Goodbye...Sayonara..."  
  
Bloodberry and Cherry, holding Lime sandwiched between their bodies, hugged each other tightly. They turned to Jade and nodded.  
  
"Let's get this show on the road! We've all got a future to live!"  
  
Rose smiled at Bloodberry and began to work her controls. Slowly the fingers began to turn and rotate once more. As they started to spin round the platform faster and faster the Tesla Coils began to spark and charge. Bloodberry met Cherry's eyes over Limes' head.  
  
"Are you ready for this?"  
  
Cherry nodded.  
  
"I hope we love where we're going!!"  
  
Bloodberry laughed over the loud din that was beginning.  
  
"I know we will, Cherry! Life owes us all one! Hahaha!"  
  
  
Cherry giggled and held her sister tighter. The tube above them began to spark and fill with electricity. Cherry looked down at Lime in between the two of them. She looked so peaceful. Cherry giggled as she saw her sleeping with a small, happy smile on her face. They were doing this because of her. She hoped fervently that Lime would be happy wherever they landed.  
  
She looked up into the tube above and grinned into the almost blinding light. The 'fingers' shone a dark blue and now spun fast enough to create the 'ring of light' illusion.  
  
'I don't know who's out there...' she thought to herself, '...But who ever it is, thanks for letting us keep Lime... Thanks for getting us through this...'  
  
Bloodberry turned her face upwards into the light and with a large smile, began to cheer.  
  
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
At that very moment Lord Ghenna received word of what happened at the Rocket Shot and the Space Station. It was said his eyes glittered like fire for months afterwards....  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
At that very moment Nansa rose his small cup into the sky in his little garden and smiled.  
  
"Sayonara, Satomi-chan."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
At that very moment a young Gray Eye by the name of Keinaro awoke from his fitful sleep with a sudden start, and spend the rest of the night wide awake wondering what had happened.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
At that very moment, in a place far, far away; on another plane; in another universe, Kaiser watched with eager eyes and began to laugh out loud with joy. His little girls had done it, They'd pulled through...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
At that very moment an explosion electricity cascaded down from the tube above onto the 'ring of light' and a second later all three of the women, smiling, sleeping and laughing were cast off the platform and sent screaming and cheering straight into a whirlwind of chaos and sound.  
  
  
  
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!"  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Everything's so blurry,  
and everyone's so fake...  
And everybody's empty,  
and everything is so messed up...  
Pre-occupied without you,  
I cannot live at all...  
My whole world surrounds you,   
I stumble then I crawl...  
  
But you could be my someone!  
You could be my scene!  
You know that I'll protect you  
from all of the obscene!  
I wonder what you're doing,  
Imagine where you are...  
There's oceans in between us  
but that's not very far!!  
  
Can you take it all away?!  
Can you take it all away?!  
  
Well ya shoved it in my face!  
This pain you gave to me!  
  
Can you take it all away?!  
Can you take it all away?!  
  
Well ya shoved it my face!!  
  
Everyone is changing,  
there's no one left that's real...  
To make up your own ending,  
let me know just how you feel...  
'Cause I am lost without you,  
I cannot live at all!  
My whole world surrounds you,  
  
I stumble then I crawl...  
  
And you could be my someone!  
You could be my scene!  
You know that I will save you  
from all of the unclean!  
I wonder what you're doing,  
I wonder where you are!  
There's oceans in between us  
but that's not very far!!  
  
Can you take it all away?!  
Can you take it all away?!  
  
Well ya shoved it in my face!  
This pain you gave to me!  
  
Can you take it all away?!  
Can you take it all away?!  
  
Well ya shoved it my face!!  
This pain you gave to me!!!  
  
Oooooooohhh...  
Nobody told me what you thought...  
Nobody told me what to say...  
Everyone showed you where to turn...  
Told you when to runaway....  
Nobody told you where to hide...  
Nobody told you what to say...  
Everyone showed you where to turn...  
Showed you when to runaway!!  
  
Can you take it all away?!  
Can you take it all away?!  
  
Well ya shoved it in my face!  
This pain you gave to me!  
  
Can you take it all away?!  
Can you take it all away?!  
  
Well ya shoved it my face!!  
This pain you gave to me!!  
  
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo~  
This pain you gave to meeeeee!!~  
This pain you gave to meeeeee!!~  
  
  
...Can you take it all...  
...Can you take it all away...  
...This pain you gave to me...  
...Can you take it all away...  
...This pain you gave to me...  
...Can you take it all away...  
...This pain you gave to me...  
  
...This pain you gave to me...  
  
...This pain you gave to me...  
  
...This pain you gave to me...  
  
  
~Blurry  
Puddle of Mudd  
  
  
  
[To be continued]  
  
  
E-mail to: The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com 


	5. Calm Before the Storm

Hey to all. Phoenix here again with my latest installment of my first time ever fanfic. Recap, ne? Bloodberry, Cherry, Panta, Luchs, Tiger and, of course, Lime were all born a long, long time ago as humans. Using a basic female gene code found in the broken data core of The Mesopotamia and broken down DNA bases man was able to create woman. But as time went by things were all but good for the women. They were sold to high nobles of the kingdom that created them. There most of them faced the worst conditions at all. They were no longer regarded as humans but as things.  
  
A man by the name of Kaiser rescued these maidens from the hell they lived in and, using his high rank in the Kingdom he worked for, managed to send the women away into the future before anyone knew what was going on. However doing this came to a great price, Kaiser was killed in his endeavors.   
  
Fast forward to present day Terra II; (A.C. 1029), Lime, Bloodberry and Cherry (three of the women who were born in the past) are living under a new, kinder master by the name of Otaru. One day they are targeted by a pair assassins. A man passing by on the street who heard the assassins planning their job prevented the three women from being murdered. When they took him home they discovered that he was a soldier sent from their past to retrieve them for his leader. The man went by the name Keinaro. Cherry, in a fit of rage knocked the man unconscious. When Otaru came home he discovered the man and demanded to know what was going on. Sending Lime out on an errand that would take her three days, Cherry and Bloodberry sat Otaru down and began to explain their past to him. They revealed everything about themselves to their master. Their story ended with their traveling through time to the present.  
  
As always I don't own SMJ or all the SMJ characters owned by who ever owns them. K? Y'all know I'm broke and in grave fear of a lawsuits, there fore lemme state again that I have about as much money as a beggar in the streets of India. Yup. I am penniless. So there. XP Comments and shtuff can be sent to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com. Oh, If anyone complains that this is too long I say shoo to you. I'm writing this for myself. I'm just posting it to see what people think of my (apparent lack of) writing skillZ. Yes, that is right. Skillz with a Z. haHA!! Kk, story tyme!!  
  
[NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Bloodberry paused. Wiping her eyes for the last time, she finished her glass of sake. Turning the cup face down she took a deep breath. It had been two days since they started their story. Otaru sat by somberly saying nothing. Hanagata, for the first time in his life, felt for the woman. At first he was skeptical; what she was telling him was, indeed, very far-fetched. But as the story weaved it self out and those very real tears came to her eyes he began to think differently. Tears weren't easy to fake, and coupled with the intriguing story they made for a very real performance. He was convinced.  
  
"When we woke up," she slowly. "We were in your room, lying on those futons. From there on you know how the story goes. Lime awoke as the woman you know today. Around you she seems so innocent and ready to please. She changed. We think the bullet that grazed her skull was what did it, that coupled with the shock of having her physical form flung through time."  
  
Otaru shook his head. "I find it hard to believe that the warrior who Aisha once was is the same, sweet child who I know and adore today."  
  
Cherry spoke up. "There are two different people living in that body. Aisha and Lime. Aisha is a woman scarred by a life pain and suffering trying to do the right thing and follow her heart. Lime is a child, sweet and innocent. When we were escaping and Aisha was shot she suffered a mild concussion. How ever that coupled with the shock of having her body flung across time and space did something to do. Deep down I think she remembers everything. Deep down she knows who she was and what her past is.  
  
"But I think Aisha is trying to keep her promise to Kaiser. To be happy. Lime is the product of that urge to be happy and the shock of being flung across time. Right now she's fine. She's suppressed Aisha, she's suppressed her past. You don't see the scars on her soul- she keeps them covered up. Lime is sweet, innocent and pure. She's the happiness Kaiser sought her to be.  
  
"Otaru-sama, you don't see this, but at night Lime still has nightmares. She still dreams about her past. She still dreams about Kaiser. She went through a year of torment. Something like that leaves wounds that don't quickly heal."  
  
She smiled up at him gently. "However, since we've been here under your care, Lime has become so much better. You've helped to heal her better than anybody. The love you show us gives Lime her happiness and strength. Everyday she gets just a little bit better, and it's thanks to you Otaru-sama."  
  
Otaru smiled slightly and folded his legs up. He was healing Lime... Hanagata cocked an eye over to Otaru.   
  
"Geh, I still don't see how she could be so blindly in love with you Otaru."  
  
Bloodberry pressed her fist-of-destruction onto the blonde's head and glared. "What are you talking about? You're just as bad as the rest of us."  
  
Hanagata slipped out from under her hand and straightened his hair.   
  
"Yeah, but I've known Otaru my whole life. Lime's only known him for a few years. Ever since I first remember seeing her she's fallen head over heels for him."  
  
Bloodberry met the little man's face and grinned.   
  
"We've all been head over heels for Otaru. He's kind and sweet, he takes care of us, feeds us, clothes us..."  
  
Otaru began to blush a little bit every time Bloodberry listed why she loved him.  
  
"...takes us to the movies, pays for our room and board and is always so understanding!"  
  
Hanagata still shook his head. "Yeah, but from first sight?"  
  
Bloodberry looked up from Hanagata to Cherry. For a moment they exchanged glances.  
  
"Well... Actually..." She said trailing off slightly.  
  
Otaru looked to Bloodberry.  
  
"Actually what?"  
  
The woman looked indecisive for a moment. "Well...the thing is..."  
  
"...Is?"  
  
Cherry folded her hands and took over. "Otaru-sama, you look almost exactly like Kaiser-sama."  
  
  
Otaru sat there a moment with a completely blank look on his face. Cherry slowly refilled her glass of tea and sat back calmly waiting for him. The man slowly turned to Bloodberry and met her eyes.  
  
"B-Bloodberry..."  
  
"Yes, Otaru..." she said shifting uncomfortably. "It's true. You do remarkably like Kaiser. While you look a little too young to really be him the resemblance is most definitely in there..."  
  
Finally a look of surprise and shock stamped itself onto his features. The young man groaned, and sat back running his fingers through his hair.   
  
"I don't believe this..."  
  
Cherry spoke up once more.  
  
"Please, understand, Otaru-sama, We love and live for you, not Kaiser. It's who you are in your heart that we care about. Not just who you look like. Kaiser's dead, we've long since come to realize that. He's never going to come back to us. We know this and Lime knows this. You're not a replacement for him, Not in the least bit Otaru-sam-"  
  
She was cut of when, to the surprise of everyone at the table, Otaru began laughing. Hanagata leaned forward and put his hand on his shoulder.   
  
"O-Otaru? Are you ok?"  
  
The man shook his head in between the chuckles.  
  
"You guys are telling me that I look just like the very man who saved you three? The Arch-Bishop who raised and watched over you three?"  
  
Slowly the women nodded. Otaru grinned. "That explains everything. No wonder Lime was so attached to me at first sight. No wonder you two were the same as well. It ALL makes sense to me now."  
  
Bloodberry smiled a bit herself and shook her head. Otaru seemed fine. They all sat there a moment letting everything sink in. Hanagata was the first to speak up. He stared down at his belly and rubbed it. It responded with a gurgle.  
  
"Ne, Otaru, I'm hungry."  
  
Bloodberry looked over at Hanagata with an annoyed expression on her face. "You're always hungry."  
  
For once Otaru came to Hanagata's defense. "Bloodberry... He has a point. It's been a while since I've last eaten as well. Cherry, let's say we take a break and have a real meal. I'm sure we all could use it."  
  
The maiden smiled and nodded. "Of course Otaru-sama. I will get right on it."  
  
The man chuckled. "No, Cherry, there's no rush. We have all the time in the world, ne?"  
  
Both of the women smiled and chuckled. Hanagata prodded his stomach and slumped his shoulders. If Cherry was going to take her sweet time...  
  
Suddenly a voice spoke up breaking the mood in the room. It was sad, almost regretful.  
  
"Five days..."  
  
Everyone stopped and turned. It came from Otaru's door. There standing slightly disheveled and rather unshaven was Keinaro. His eyes were sad and downcast and his shoulders slumped. Almost immediately Bloodberry and Cherry bristled. Once again, Keinaro spoke very softly.  
  
"Five days... It's been two since you returned me here, right?"  
  
Otaru furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about Keinaro?"  
  
The Gray Eye swallowed and shook his head. "I had no idea. I really had no idea what you three went through. They never told us what happened. When Kaiser died they said he died defending the Rocket Shot and nothing more. I- I was told that by bringing you three back we would be saving all of man kind and honoring Kaiser's name. All I... All I've just done was just undo what he fought and died for. I'm so... I'm so..."  
  
Bloodberry watched the man dig his hands into the wooden door frame gouging deep marks into it. Cherry saw his body trembling softly as if he were crying. She calmed a bit and unclenched her fists.  
  
"Naro what do you mean by five days?"  
  
The man didn't look back up. Instead he shook his head and trembled more.   
  
"I'm so sorry, all of you. Please... I'm so sorry..."  
  
Bloodberry began to become alarmed. Gray Eyes don't usually act this way... Her voice was firm but filled with concern.  
  
"Naro?"  
  
The Gray Eye looked up and met the maiden's gaze. She could see tears along the brims of his eyes. His face was that of a man who committed a crime too serious for death alone seeking repentance from those who he hurt.  
  
"You guys... have only five days left together. After that, Lord Ghenna comes here and takes you away back to his home. I already reported where you six were two days ago after I left here, but before Otaru stopped me... Ghenna's coming, and there's nothing I can do stop it now..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Saber Marionette J  
[Dark's AU] Human  
Eps. 5 - The Calm Before The Storm  
"We'll Prepare for the worst"  
  
  
She calls me from the cold  
Just when I was low, feeling short of stable...  
And all that she intends,  
And all she keeps inside isn't on the label...  
  
She says she's ashamed.  
Can she take me for awhile?  
Can I be a friend?   
We'll forget the past!  
Well, maybe I'm not able,  
And I break at the bend...  
  
We're here and now,   
Will ever be again?  
'Cause I have found  
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade...  
Away...   
Again...  
  
She dreams a champagne dream!  
Strawberry surprise, pink linen on white paper...  
Lavender and cream!  
Fields of butterflies, reality escapes her...  
  
She says that love  
Is for fools that fall behind.  
And I'm somewhere between!  
Never really know  
A killer from a savior...  
'Til I break at the bend...  
  
We're here and now,   
Will ever be again?  
'Cause I have found  
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade...  
Away...  
Again...  
  
It's to far away for me to hold!  
To far away....  
It's to far away for me to hold!  
To far away....  
Aaaaaaawwww...  
  
Yeaaaah,  
It's to far away for me to hold!  
...To far away....  
It's to far away for me to hold!  
...To far away...  
It's to far away for me to hold!  
...To far away....  
It's to far away for me to hold!  
...To far away....  
  
...Guess I'll let it go....  
  
Shimmer  
~Fuel  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
All four of the people fell silent. With looks of shock and horror Bloodberry and Cherry gaped at the man. Hanagata forgot about his hunger. Otaru became pale. This means that in less than five days he is going to lose... Keinaro shook his head despairingly.  
  
"I had no idea you sacrificed so much. I had no clue you the hell you went through. I acted thinking it was the best thing to do at the time. I ignored that little voice in my head and now I'm paying for it. I heard everything. I woke up right about the time Cherry was talking about meeting Lime for the first time. I heard your entire story. I heard all of what happened. Kaiser..."  
  
Naro swallowed and dug his hands even deeper into the door frame.  
  
"Kaiser was the man I looked up to. He was the greatest warrior that ever lived. When he died I was devastated. Completely and utterly. The only comfort I had was that I wasn't the only one who cried that time. Almost all of Mesopotamia wept for the fallen Arch-Bishop. I don't there was a single man who didn't mourn for him. I had no idea he died for you three. I had no idea..."  
  
He stopped and lowered his face hiding it from the four people. Hanagata shook his head slowly.  
  
"So you betrayed us. You betrayed these women to the devil and now you want us to forgive you?"  
  
Bloodberry looked up surprised at the blond man. "Hana..."  
  
He turned to her and pointed his finger. "Don't get me wrong! I still hate you three. You're still out for the love of my blessed Otaru! But what you three women went through, no one should have gone through. Naro, you betrayed these maidens to Satan himself! How dare you stand there and beg for our forgiveness!!"  
  
Bloodberry's expression softened toward Hanagata. He'd called them women and maidens for the first time in their lives. Keinaro, on the other hand, did nothing. His head down turned, body trembling and fingers buried deep into the wall he said nothing. Everything Hanagata said had been true...  
  
Slowly Cherry rose. Her eyes were burning brightly in their sockets. Otaru watched her move toward where Keinaro was standing in despair.   
  
"Cherry..."  
  
She came close and stood next to the man seething. Keinaro knew who it was even without looking up. He could hear her ragged breathing, smell her sweet perfume. He stood by and trembled with sorrow and self-remorse. He dared not look up.  
  
Cherry raised her hand high and prepared to strike down the Gray Eye. Naro could hear the noise of her arm being raised and tensed. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow. Cherry's eyes narrowed as she glared at the man standing before her. Slowly, very controlled, she moved her lips.  
  
"Why...Why did you do it..."  
  
Naro shuddered and shook his head. "I thought it was the right thing to do. Your safety would have been guaranteed. Lord Ghenna needs the DNA codes locked in your hearts to begin mass-producing women for the public. He's only got two codes. In order to g-get the genetic variety he needs he'll need the other six of you."  
  
Bloodberry spoke slowly as well. "What about those data cores and all the notes the science teams took?"  
  
"T-they were destroyed in an explosion at the science labs. He doesn't have any other records of what-"  
  
"Wait a minute..." Cherry interrupted him. "You said he already had some. Where'd he get those samples from?"  
  
Hanagata narrowed his eyes. "He said the other six of you... You three never saw Jade and Rose leave the station, did you?"  
  
Cherry and Bloodberry exchanged worried glances. Hana was right. The smaller maiden turned to Naro.  
  
"Naro..."  
  
Slowly the Gray Eye nodded. "Lord Ghenna has them."  
  
With a cry Cherry slammed her hand into the wall splintering it not three inches from Naro's head.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Naro's trembles began to get worse. "Th-they never made it out of the l-labs. The explosive they a-armed to erase the data of where you s-six went w-went off prematurely. Th-they were halfway through the launch s-sequence when it went off. It destroyed all the equipment in the l-lab and shut down th-the time sequence. They never escaped..."  
  
The rage in Bloodberry's eyes faded and was replaced by something deeper. Her shoulders slumped and she turned her head away. They never escaped... They never made it out... Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry had been living happily and peacefully all this time while Jade and Rose were both caught in the torment of Ghenna's hell...  
  
Cherry rose her hand high once more. Naro flinched as he heard the heavy hand raise itself into the air above him. He held his breath and waited for the blow.   
  
Naro, more than anyone else, was surprised when it never came. Gently Cherry placed her hand on the Gray Eye's shoulder. Her eyes softened and her breath slowed.  
  
"You did it because you wanted what was best for mankind, ne?"  
  
Slowly Naro nodded. Cherry swallowed and continued.  
  
"I'm tired of feeling angry. I'm tired being mad. There are things more serious than my hatred toward you. Ghenna is coming, Jade and Rose are still trapped under him and we are running out of time. I can't be angry anymore. I hate being mad."  
  
She turned to Bloodberry. "Ne, Bloodberry-chan?"  
  
The woman with the fiery hair looked up and met her sister's eyes. She swallowed once and turned away. Looking out the window she silently nodded. Cherry turned back to Naro and lifted his chin. They met face to face.   
  
"We can't change what's been done. Our actions can't be taken back. But we can try to amend the damage we've done. I can't take back what I've said and done to you. I've acted blindly. I let my own personal feelings cloud my judgment. I remember someone else who did the same. His name was Kaiser."  
  
Bloodberry silently listened to her sister as she spoke. Otaru brought his legs up and did the same. Naro was their enemy. He'd betrayed them to Ghenna. But if anyone had the right to forgive the man it would be Cherry and Bloodberry. Otaru decided to go upon whatever his Maidens decided.  
  
"Now if Kaiser can forgive and be forgiven..." Cherry continued. "...so can I. We can put our pasts behind us and move on only under one condition."  
  
Naro met her gaze and swallowed. "...Yes?"  
  
Cherry's eyes narrowed. "Who's side are you on, Keinaro? Ghenna's or ours?"  
  
The Gray Eye was silent as he stared at Cherry. Her eyes, her soft, purple eyes bored into his. Now there was a descision to be made. Follow his heart and the little voice in his head, or follow the leader he pledged his life to. What was the right thing to do... He shook his head and averted his gaze. What did his heart tell him...  
  
The heart of man is corrupt. It is filled with deceit and lies, greed and lust. Naro knew this. More than anyone else there he knew. He'd seen his friends, good and strong people grow up and become corrupted by the power one gains by becoming Gray Eye Elite. He knew himself, that some of that power tainted his heart and mind. He was the only one from his entire clan who made it as high as he did. He was specially chosen for this mission along with three other individuals because of their loyalty to Mespotamia and the fatherland and one other special trait. Keinaro sought to follow in the footsteps of his fallen Arch-Bishop. He acted because he felt that was how Kaiser would have acted.  
  
But now he learned that in the time of his death, Kaiser died not for his country, but for these women. Not for the fatherland, but for eight would be mothers. Naro had seen Kaiser's kindness. He remember the speech he had given him as a little boy, about tears and the significance of honoring those who had fallen whom you loved.  
  
  
...Honoring the fallen of whom you loved...  
  
  
Corrupt or not, he would follow his heart. He raised his head and met Cherry's eyes.  
  
"Kaiser was one of the greatest men I have ever known. In his final years he became a just and good man. He came back, you know, that day after he talked to me in the hallway. Ryken ignored what I had told him and Kaiser came back. He was so utterly humiliated by the Arch-Bishop that he applied for and was sent away to some back woods post where we never heard of him again. I received the respect and admiration of my clanmates. The Arch-Bishop was stood up right behind me and backed me up right in front of the whole group.  
  
"When he died I made a pledge to myself that I would continue to honor him and the legacy he left behind. You eight are his legacy. If he was willing to die and sacrifice his life for you, then so am I. I will do whatever it takes to defend you three no matter what you choose to do."  
  
Cherry smiled and nodded her head once. Otaru also nodded. They needed all the help they can get. Hanagata saw his love nod and in turn did the same. Otaru could never be wrong, except about love- he was just misguided there. Bloodberry scowled and turned back to Naro and Cherry.  
  
"Oh, that's all nice and dandy Gray Eye. But can you fight as good as you talk? Aisha is a Gray Eye as well. She's got their training and skill, she passed the test!"  
  
Naro frowned slightly. "I'm no Bishop, Bloodberry, but I am an elite."  
  
"Which means what?"  
  
Naro raised his shirt and revealed a tattoo on his other arm. It was of a phoenix, dark and awesome, rising from ashes in a glorious array of fire. To Otaru, it was one hell of a tattoo. It seemed to shine on his arm catching the light. He'd never seen anything like it before. However when Bloodberry saw it and her eyes grew large. Naro smiled softly.  
  
"I'm a Black Legionnaire." Otaru, Hanagata and Cherry all stepped back in surprise. Naro chuckled a bit. "I told you I was elite."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
While Cherry bustled about in the kitchen, Naro and the rest sat at the table. The Gray Eye felt a little better and became more at ease. Otaru began to take a liking to the older man. While he was shy and really didn't speak unless spoken to, what he had to say was almost always useful. Otaru saw a light in his Gray Eyes that he'd never seen before. Every time he saw the man before he was saddened and gloomy. This was the first time Otaru'd ever seen him at relative peace. Hanagata, on the other hand didn't take such a liking to him. Being sent into low orbit into a plasma cloud wasn't something one soon forgets. He put up with him only because Otaru'd seemed to have taken a liking to the man.   
  
"So we have less than five days, correct Naro?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Alright..." Otaru said rubbing his forehead. "Five days... What happens then?"  
  
Bloodberry spoke up. "I'll tell you what happens. Ghenna comes and takes us back. You never see us again, we never hear from you again. That is it. That is all."  
  
Otaru blinked. "It can't be as cut and dry as that!"  
  
Naro shook his head. "Yes it can be."  
  
Bloodberry slammed her fist into the table. "Do you really think Ghenna gives a crap about you or about us? Do you think he really cares about how we feel?"  
  
The young man paused. "Well... no I guess not. That's why I'm not going to let him take you three from me!"  
  
"Otaru, I don't think there's a force on this planet that will keep us from Ghenna's rage now. We can't run! There's no place where we can hide."  
  
Otaru turned to Naro. "What do you think?"  
  
The Gray Eye took a sip of some of the sake that had been left out. "We need to look at our options here. We can wait for Lord Ghenna to come and just accept fate, or we can fight it and resist with everything we have in ourselves. If we resist what are we going to do? We obviously can't fight the entire Mesopotamian fleet."  
  
Bloodberry chugged some drink herself. "We can try."  
  
"We will die. Going against an entire armada is a pointless end to a wasted life. We need to think about this. I'm going against everything I've ever been taught right now. Mesopotamia is the fatherland and should always be protected from invaders. I am sitting beside you collaborating about mounting an assault on that country. I don't like the idea myself. I'm going against rational thought by doing this. If I don't like it how do you think a Bishop's going to feel about it? Or an entire squad of legionnaires? They will destroy us."  
  
"Well we're not going to wait for the end to come and just accept it!"  
  
"Of course we aren't Bloodberry, which is why we're talking about his right now. Naro isn't there anything we can do to resist this?"  
  
"There's always something we can do... I just can't think of it right now..."  
  
"Well, wait. Otaru-kun..." Hanagata said speaking up. "I remember, in old history texts, about how back on Earth cultures used to describe invading armies like snakes. One long slithering snake."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Well, what is one thing every snake has?"  
  
Bloodberry took another drink. "Gray Eyes?"  
  
Naro snorted while Hanagata went on.  
  
"No, they have a head. What would happen if we chopped that head right off? The body dies..."  
  
"...Killing the snake." Otaru nodded. "Well what's the head of this snake?"  
  
"Ghenna." Bloodberry grunted. "So all we have to do is kill him."  
  
Naro spoke up. "Now wait a minute!"  
  
"No, hold on Naro." Otaru said taking some tea. "Hana has a point. Bloodberry, you said yourself that Kaiser told Aisha that in the future Mesopotamia isn't around, that something happened to Ghenna."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Well, what if we're the ones that happen to Ghenna? This could be all fate! All we have to do is kill Ghenna and we'll be safe."  
  
Naro shook his head. "I'd be easier to fly with only your arms Otaru. Lord Ghenna is always protected by a Bishop or two or..." He trailed off.  
  
"...Or?" Bloodberry pushed.  
  
The Gray Eye took a deep breath. "Remember Leska-chan?"  
  
"Jade."  
  
"Yes, Jade... Well, when she didn't escape Lord Ghenna put her back into her psychic training. It's been twenty years since you've left that world. She's come further than Kaiser ever imagined."  
  
"What do you mean?" Otaru leaned forward.  
  
"She's a killing machine..."  
  
"What?!" Bloodberry stood up. "What?! Jade-chan?! She'd never kill ANYTHING! She wouldn't even hurt insects! There's no way that she could be a killer."  
  
"You remember what happened to Aisha, didn't you? Her year with Lord Kisa. Now stick Leska-chan in Aisha's place, Lord Ghenna in Kisa's place and multiply the years by twenty!"  
  
Bloodberry fell silent.  
  
"I've never seen her before, myself, but I've heard the horror stories. They describe her like a demon. Half her face is covered in some sort of mask. There was an explosion or some misfire and she was horribly scarred on the right side of her face. They say her eyes are completely and totally flat. That when she kills you they look almost dead. She's got powers unmatched by any other living thing. She's a demon. A walking piece of terror. She can kill a Bishop without even so much as batting an eye. She never says anything. Never talks, she's totally silent. She uses her mind! She can burrow into your head and turn you insane or read whatever thoughts you choose to keep hidden from the rest of the world. It's because of her that we haven't had another Arch-Bishop after Kaiser. We've never needed one. She's a terrible force."  
  
Everybody became silent. Bloodberry couldn't believe her ears. Not Jade-chan. Not her. There was no way she could ever kill anything. She'd never hurt anyone before... Naro continued.  
  
"But... I think there is one person we can go to who may help us. In fact, we'll be able to kill two birds with one stone with hi..."  
  
"What do you mean? Who's this man?" Otaru said.  
  
Naro looked and smiled slightly. "Oh yeah... I never told you." He leaned over his shoulder and called into the kitchen. "Cherry! Come out here. This is important!"  
  
The maiden walked out of the kitchen drying her hands on a towel she had slung over her shoulder. "Yes? What is it?"  
  
Naro motioned to her seat. "Sit down. You're going to want to hear this." Silently she did as she was bidden. Bloodberry saw Naro's eyes light up as he spoke.  
  
"There's one man who might be able to help us. Technically he's the oldest man alive. He's been with us since the original six crash landed on this planet. He's died countless times, but his memories have been sent into clone after clone of himself down the ages. He's the only man on all of Terra two who has memories of Earth and what life was like on it."  
  
"Who is this man?" Cherry asked.  
  
The Gray Eye smiled. "He's the leader of Gartlant. He goes by the name 'Faust'."  
  
Otaru sat back. "Faust? That old coot?"  
  
Naro chuckled. "That man is the wisest one on all of Terra II. He's seen and done almost everything. He would know what to do in our situation."  
  
Cherry scratched her head. "Well, this is all nice and everything, but why do I need to hear it right now?"  
  
"This is what's important," The Gray Eye said raising his finger. "I was sent into this time because apart from the time scarring, there were rumors of odd marionettes roaming around. Rumors of marionettes who could think and act for their own, even smile. Three of these marionettes are here in Japoness... and another three are said to be living somewhere else. Since, I've been able to pinpoint where they were. They live in Gartlant"  
  
Cherry narrowed her eyes a moment processing what had been said.  
  
"Y-you mean..."  
  
The man grinned and sat back. "Faust is living with three other women..."  
  
For the first time that night Bloodberry heard some news she wanted to hear. She exchanged glances with Cherry and smiled widely.   
  
"Tiger, Panta and Luchs! They landed in this time period!"  
  
Cherry stood up and clapped her hands. "They made it, they made it!!"  
  
Otaru watched the two sisters clasp their hands and begin to spin wildly around the room. Their faces were lit up brightly as they chanted in unison.  
  
"They made it! They made it! They made it! They made it!"  
  
When they finally became too dizzy to continue they fell to the floor and landed giggling helplessly. Bloodberry flipped herself over up onto her hands and knees.  
  
"Otaru! We need to go see them!! Let's go tonight!! Let's go, let's go!"  
  
Their master almost did a double take. "W-what?! Bloodberry! Do you know how far away Gartlant is? It's a seven day journey on foot! We'd never be able to make it there in time!"  
  
As Bloodberry's face fell Keinaro's smiled widened.   
  
"Now, now Bloodberry-chan, don't look so down. Do you think I would recommend we go out and do something if we didn't even have the time to arrive there?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Naro crawled over to her and lay flat on his belly. Kicking his legs into the air he was almost nose to nose with Bloodberry. "How do you think I got to Japoness? I landed inside the wasteland just outside the walls during a fierce plasma storm. Now you know that plasma storms are the side effects of time travel, they almost always mark a coming and going. But still, traversing that wasteland during a plasma storm isn't any fun. You'll get struck by every plasma bolt that forms out there, and we all now how much they can burn."  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "I thought we had plasma diffusion systems built into our skeletons."  
  
"Doesn't make it hurt any less when you're struck by one. Those suckers sting!"  
  
Cherry interrupted. "Yeah, yeah where are you going with all this?"  
  
Naro looked over to her and met her eyes. "We Gray Eyes almost never travel anywhere on foot unless we need be or we are undercover. Time traveling is no different. Out in that wasteland, about twenty miles from the wall, I came out of the time slip and into this place in a plasma storm. I didn't walk that twenty miles. I came with a star craft. One that was built to go through time and space as well as the skies. What would be a seven day journey on foot would only take us about twelve hours using my ship. We could be there and back long before Lord Ghenna arrives!"  
  
Bloodberry's face lit up. "Then we CAN go tonight, Otaru!! We can go!!!"  
  
The boy smiled and shook his head once more. "No, Bloodberry, we can't. I'm not leaving here until Lime comes back. Even then one of us must stay behind to watch over her."  
  
Hanagata snorted. "S'not going to be me."  
  
"Who said you were going in the first place?!" The fiery woman growled.  
  
Otaru groaned "Please you two..."  
  
"Gomen, Otaru-sama..."  
  
"Ugh, Gomen Otaru."  
  
Turning to the Gray Eye Otaru spoke. "Well, it looks like it's you, me, Hanagata, and either Bloodberry or Cherry." He turned to them. "Which one of you two is willing to stay behind and watch over Lime?"  
  
The sisters exchanged glances and began to talk at almost the same time.  
  
"I will Otaru-sama, Bloodberry really wants to go-"  
  
"I'll stay behind, Otaru. I made a promise to watch over Lime-"  
  
They stopped and once more stared at one another. Otaru groaned once more. He would have to make a decision then... Looking back and forth he sighed and shook his head.  
  
"All right, Bloodberry, you were the first to ask, you'll come with us." The maiden nodded fully aware of her sister's slumping shoulders at her side. Cherry nodded slowly. She wanted to visit them... Maybe another time. Naro straightened himself up. He looked out the window and saw the sun had totally disappeared from the horizon. It was full night outside.   
  
Hanagata, (who had been making faces at Bloodberry until he heard she was to join them), laid down with a thump and groaned. "Well if that's done may we eat? I'm hungry!"  
  
Cherry suddenly shot up like a cat with it's tail on fire. "Oh my god! I forgot the food!! It's going to burn!!" And she rushed into the kitchen.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
After the meal (which, luckily, turned out fine) the five sat around the table silently. Naro, for the first time in his life, had a real home cook meal. Most food was either produced in a factory or mass produced, like a McDonalds, where he came from. Fresh ingredients, much less food cooked at home were an extreme rarity where he lived.   
  
Leaning back he patted his belly. "Cherry, I have to admit, that's the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life."  
  
The maiden smiled. "I hear that a lot. Thank you Naro."  
  
Hanagata, picking at a small pile of rice on his plate groaned. "How come the enemy gets more food than me?"  
  
Cherry sniffed. "That's because the enemy is a guest. He doesn't live next door with his own food to eat." She leaned over grinning maliciously. "He also doesn't make fun of the cook's work..."  
  
Sighing the blonde little man shoved what little was on his plate into his mouth and chewed.   
  
"[munch][munch] Y'still shouldn't be so mean..."  
  
Otaru took a deep breath and sat back once more. "All right. Whenever Lime gets back is when we go. I'm not going to take off without telling her goodbye."  
  
"We understand, Otaru-sama. Please hurry on back after you do leave though. I don't want Ghenna to return while you're out in Gartlant."  
  
"Don't worry about that, Cherry. I promise I'll be home long before that dictator comes for you!"  
  
Naro winced when Otaru called his former Lord a dictator. It still hurt to be going against the man he was taught to be like his father. Some part in his brain wailed and screamed whenever he thought about their plans to keep the six maidens from Ghenna. It would take some getting used to. He was following in Kaiser's footsteps in a more true fashion than he ever imagined. He too was casting everything away for the safety of these females. Unlike Kaiser, he was worried he would have to take this new dedication a step farther- actually going out and killing his Lord and Father; Ghenna.  
  
Bloodberry, lounging with one knee brought up and her arm resting on it casually, turned to her sister. "Do you know when Lime will be back?"  
  
Cherry nodded. "I sent her out to get only, maybe a pound of Maiden's Heart. She should be on her way back by now. I think we can expect her back sometime tomorrow."  
  
Bloodberry turned to Otaru. "So tomorrow evening?"  
  
"Maybe the day after, depending on when she gets back."  
  
"Shit. I hope she gets back early tomorrow then. We don't have the time to wait for her."  
  
Otaru stood up and stretched his back. "Well, I'm not sure about the rest of you, I am exhausted. I really need to sleep. Physically I'm wasted."  
  
Saying his good nights he turned to enter his room. He stopped when Cherry called to him. Turning he met her gaze. Knowing this would be one of the last times she would ever be able to do this she walked over to him. She took his hands into her and met his eyes.  
  
"Sweet dreams, Otaru-sama..."  
  
Her master looked surprised for a moment. Realizing what she was doing and what it meant his expression softened. He squeezed her hands gently in return. "Until the morning Cherry."  
  
He turned, entered his room and slid the door closed behind him. Cherry stood out side the door a moment, downcast. She didn't move until her sister came up behind her and placed her hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Cherry-chan?"  
  
Looking hastily away Cherry wiped her eyes. She turned back smiling at Bloodberry.  
  
"Onee-sama?"  
  
Bloodberry shook her head back and forth slowly. "Cherry... If you really want to, you can go in my place. I can stay here and watch over Lime for you."  
  
Her sister shook her head. "No, Bloodberry. You're the one who wanted to go the most. Otaru-sama decided for us. I'll stay behind and watch our Lime."  
  
Hanagata rose and approached the smaller maiden.  
  
"Now, now don't get me wrong here. I still hate you three and all but... but Cherry, while we're gone, you'd better take good care of Lime for me- I mean Otaru- If she gets hurt, Otaru will get sad and depressed, and I don't think I'll be able to stand it. Alright?"  
  
Cherry met his eyes and for a moment saw a flash of sincerity in them. She smiled. "Alright, Mitsurugi. I will."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Almost three hours later everyone was asleep except for Naro. He had no idea how five people who's lives were going to be dramatically changed in such short notice were able to sleep at all. He leaned against the wall of the main room of the house where the four occupants spent their past two days revealing the past. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. It was warm in here. The air was thick with the musty odor of sweat and body odor. They'd locked themselves in the same room for two days straight, it would make sense things would smell. Walking to the far door he softly opened it and stepped outside.  
  
The cold, Japoness night air felt good on his face. It had a slight bite in it, but Naro didn't mind. The crisp air was cool and fresh. The stars were brightly shimmering above. It never ceased to amaze him. Despite all the years, almost three-quarters of millennia, the stars were almost exactly the same as they were back home. He could see Poseidon up there, and Gaine. Off in the far distance there was a small cluster of stars with Orion was nestled in amongst them. Weren't people on Earth able to see that same constellation as well?  
  
Naro always liked Orion. It was a noble warrior standing guard in a sky full of beasts and gods, like a lone guardian keeping all the other stars safe. Taking a deep, cleansing breath he started to walk. Keinaro had always been attracted to the stars. They were small points of light and sanity set atop darkness and infinity. They represented all that was and all that could be. He could see so many hopes and dreams up in those soft points of light. It was no wonder man chose to traverse their great depths. It was no wonder...  
  
He heard someone coming down the street and stopped. His eyes, despite having adjusted to the light, picked up nothing in the shadows. Moving under cover himself he waited. There, he heard it again. It was the sound of footsteps. Peering as best he could into the darkness he saw something move. A... 'thing' detached itself from the shadows down the street and moved swiftly in Naro's direction. It seemed to be big and bulbous with two small feet peeking out the bottom. It padded softly on the ground making a peculiar noise. It wasn't until the thing got close enough for Naro to discern what it was that the noise made sense. It was making the same sound, like a squeaky toy, every time it stepped.  
  
Naro watched Lime approach with a small smile. The child had a humongous sack on her back. That's what confused him. As she approached he could hear her humming softly to herself. Stepping out from the shadows he made his way toward her.  
  
"Lime." He said softly. The woman stopped and turned to him. She blinked twice and suddenly realized who was calling her.   
  
"Naro!! Keinaro!! You're ok!!"  
  
The Gray Eye smiled. "Yeah, I'm feeling much better now, especially to see you!"  
  
Lime deposited the sack onto the ground and giggled. "Naro-kun! I didn't know how much Cherry would need so I found as much as I could. It's all in here." She said patting the bulging sack proudly. "But I don't think Cherry's going to need them any more now that you're ok..."  
  
The man chuckled. "Nonsense Lime! I'm sure she'll find a use for them! You did a great job!"  
  
Lime smiled once more. "Otaru was counting on Lime! He'll be happy, ne ne? Do you think he'll be proud?"  
  
Naro leaned back and began to laugh. "I know he will be! I don't think you'll ever make him ashamed child. Need a hand?" He reached down and picked up the large bag. They started to walk slowly back to Otaru's home taking their time and enjoying the night. Naro grinned at the woman. She seemed so much like a child; she even had a little hop-skip in her step.   
  
"Lime, do you mind if I tell you some thing?"  
  
"Huh? Sure. What is it?"  
  
Naro looked straight ahead as he spoke, trying his best to hide the emotions behind the words that were going to come out.  
  
"You love Otaru, ne?"  
  
She nodded vigorously. "I love him more than anything in the whole word!!"  
  
Keinaro nodded. "Then can you promise me something?"  
  
"Oro? What is it Naro-kun?"  
  
The man paused a moment before answering. " Lime-chan, the time may come when you will be separated from Otaru for a very, very long time. It won't be your fault, mind you. It will just be fate, I guess."  
  
"Huh, Naro-kun, what are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about the future Lime. There may come a time when you and Otaru will be separated. I can' tell you when, or why, but it might happen." He turned his head to her. "You gotta remember your love for him Lime. You gotta remember your feelings you feel for him right now. You gotta remember that he would never leave you unless he had no choice what so ever in the matter. He loves you, Lime. That boy `loves you deeply. Just remember that he'll always love you, no matter where you are, and that he'll do everything in his power to keep you safe and by his side. Whereever you may go he will follow. Do you understand, Lime?"  
  
The little woman turned her Jade eyes to Naro's Gray ones. "I...I guess... But why would I be taken away from Otaru? I dun wanna leave him."  
  
Naro chuckled. "I know you don't. Just maybe fate will be kind to you and you'll never have to leave his side. But just in case, remember to always remember him. Keep him close to your heart and you'll pull through."  
  
Lime furrowed her eyebrows. "Ok Naro-kun... what ever you say."  
  
"Promise me?"  
  
"Promise!"  
  
"Good!" Naro smiled under the load. "Come on Lime-chan! Let's get inside. Otaru's already gone to bed, but I'm sure he won't mind if you wake him up!"  
  
Lime immediately brightened at the thought of seeing Otaru again. She nodded. "Hai!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Cherry stood in amazement, the next morning, in front of the massive sack full of Maiden's Heart. The thing was bigger than she was! Where on Terra did Lime even find a sack that large?!  
  
"I didn't know how much you wanted Onee-chan." Lime said shrugging her shoulders. Cherry continued to stare in disbelief.   
  
"Lime, you've picked enough Maiden's heart to heal the entire city of Japoness!!"  
  
Lime giggled and rubbed the back of her head. Otaru reached around her from behind and held her tightly. She smiled in his embrace and cuddled up against him.   
  
"It's Ok Lime, you did me proud! No one on all of Terra II could pick so much and get it back here so fast!"  
  
She giggled again. "Otaru!"  
  
Naro stretched his back out and heard it crack. "You're telling me that's a lot. I moved it closer to the building this morning and re-set it down to right where you see it. That thing's heavy. It's kinda lopsided as well."  
  
Cherry turned. "Lopsided?"  
  
"Yeah, it landed funny when I set it down. Must be a few rocks in it or something."  
  
Just then Bloodberry walked up. "Hey, has anyone see His Hana-ness around? I haven't seen him all morning. He's usually up and about begging for food about now."  
  
Cherry giggled. "I wouldn't worry about him. I'm starting breakfast right now. The smell of the food will lure him out soon enough. He's like a vulture; always knows where the next meal is!"  
  
Everyone laughed and turned to walk back inside the house leaving the large sack where it was on the ground. No one noticed the frantically waving hands, or the white tights peeking out from underneath it.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"But Otaru, why can't I come?"  
  
"I told you Lime, you need to stay here and rest up. This is an important business trip and I'm going to need Bloodberry's and Naro's strength."  
  
Lime's eyes started to mist up. "But Otaru, I just got back last night."  
  
Her master slumped his shoulders. Taking a deep breath he turned and embraced the little woman.  
  
"I know Lime. I don't want to leave myself, but I don't have much choice. I need to do this before it is too late. It's for our future."  
  
"Business trip or not, why can't I at least tag along, Otaru?"  
  
Bloodberry put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Lime-chan, we're going to be hiking this on foot. It's a solid three day trip both ways. It would be murder on your body to travel that distance with out some rest."  
  
"But Otaru~"  
  
"Don't Otaru, me Lime. I'm sorry but you have to stay here. It's just the way-"  
  
He fell silent when he felt Naro's hand descend onto his shoulder. Lime was on the verge of breaking into tears, being short tempered wasn't the thing to do. His expression softened and he walked over to her. Meting her jade eyes into his own he smiled.  
  
"Lime, I really care for you, and I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to die of exhaustion on me. I don't want you to get sick. I'm not doing this because I don't like you, or I want to leave you here, it's for your own good."  
  
Cherry could see her little sister's lower lip quivering. She was quickly blinking back tears.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
The young man smiled. "Lime, don't you worry. I'll be back as fast as my legs will carry me. I promise!"  
  
Slowly the maiden in his hands nodded. Otaru lifted her chin up and smiled.  
  
"Lime, you be safe while I'm gone, all right?"  
  
"Yes, Otaru..." Her voice sounded small and lonely. Bloodberry remembered when she was abandoned once back when she was younger. It left her in a year of hell and torture. That fear of being left alone and having her love walk away was still in her small body.  
  
Her master clapped Lime on the shoulder. "Good girl. I love you Lime. We'll be back as soon possible! No way I'm leaving my favorite, green eyed little girl alone for too long! Ok?"  
  
Lime swallowed and looked up smiling weakly. The tears were in her eyes but Cherry could see she was feeling slightly better.   
  
"Hehe, Ok Otaru. I love you too."  
  
Bloodberry cocked her eyebrow and turned her head. Did that sack of Maiden's Heart just groan?  
  
The two embraced a moment longer until Otaru finally broke off. He turned to Cherry.  
  
"You take care of her as well, all right Cherry?"  
  
The woman nodded. "Of course, Otaru-sama." She reached out and straightened his clothes. "And you take care of yourself as well. I want to see you again some day." She added with a slight smile. Otaru reached out and embraced her as well.   
  
"I'll try, Cherry-chan. I love you."  
  
Lime turned and waved to her sister. "Ja ne, onee-sama. Take care of Otaru for me."  
  
The fiery haired woman grinned back. "Onee-chan, don't worry! I'll get him back here before long. He'll be safe, don't you worry about it, none!"  
  
Lime giggled. "I'm not 'cause you're with him Onee-chan. Be careful."  
  
Smiling widely to her sister Bloodberry nodded.   
  
Naro took a step out side and looked up into the sky. It was fast approaching noon. A few more hours and the sun would pass directly over head. It looked to be about nine according to the clocks on Otaru's wall.  
  
"If we're all set, then I think it's about time we took off, Otaru-kun." He turned and met the younger man's eyes with a sly smile. "We have a date with destiny."  
  
Otaru shook his head and smiled. "Let's push off then."  
  
He took hold of his stuff and hefted it over his shoulder. The trio stepped of the landing and into the road. Just as they were turning to say their final goodbyes Cherry stepped off and called to Naro.  
  
"Keinaro-sama, Keinaro! Would you mind doing me a quick favor before you go?"  
  
Facing her the Gray Eye smiled. "Sure, What is it?"  
  
Cherry turned and pointed to the huge sack of Maiden Heart. "Would you mind moving that behind the house. It would be easier for me to work with behind there in the shade."  
  
With a grin Naro nodded. "As M'lady wishes."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime sadly watched as the three men and lone woman slowly made their way down the street away from her. Hanagata was almost bent over double carrying all the supplies and equipment on his back. He was still sore from being smashed under that giant sack of Maiden's heart and then being almost left behind. It was a good thing Cherry asked Naro to move it, otherwise he might have been stuck under there for days!  
  
Cherry stood by her side and wrapped her arm around her sister. This was the very first person she ever knew in her entire life. This woman standing beside her. Looking up into her eyes, she smiled slightly. Lime looked so lost watching Otaru walk away. Sniffing and blinking back tears the Jade eyed maiden leaned against Cherry.  
  
"Onee-sama..." her voice sounded so small and tiny. Cherry bent over.  
  
"Yes, Lime?"  
  
"I already miss Otaru..."  
  
"Aww..." Cherry held her sister tightly. "I do to Lime. We'll just wait. He'll come back to us, I know he will..."  
  
She turned and saw the four of them turn the corner and disappear from view.  
  
"...He always did..." she added under breath.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Out in the wasteland, for the first time in a long time, there wasn't a plasma cloud to be seen in the sky. They moved quickly anyway. Plasma storms had a bad habit of appearing out of nowhere. Otaru talked with Naro as they went along.  
  
"...So you're telling me that the plasma bolt I saw when Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry appeared was from traveling through time?"  
  
"Yeah. Plasma storms are side effects of time travel. The landing point is always wracked with severe plasma bolts. Generally the larger the object moving through time the more severe the storm. When I landed there was a veritable Plasma typhoon out here. I scared the crap out of the guards when I walked into the city from it."  
  
"And your endoskeleton protects you from plasma?"  
  
"Yup. Bloodberry, Cherry and Lime also are protected. In fact you could say they probably rode that bolt down to the planet's surface that night."  
  
Bloodberry shook her head. "I don't remember much of that, One second we were flying through chaos and insanity and the next I'm waking up in Otaru's bed. It was some shock, I'll tell you. I don't remember any plasma bolts at all."  
  
"Well, I can't help you there. I'm no guru on the effects on time travel. I'll tell you though, had you not had that plasma diffusion system built into your bodies you might have, very likely, died on that trip. That bolt would have turned you into crispy critters."  
  
Hanagata, who had been silent the entire time was on the verge of collapsing under his load.  
  
"Hey, when are we going to get to this thing of yours anyway Naro?!"  
  
Bloodberry grinned wickedly. "Aww, come on. Does his Hana-ness feel slightly fatigued under his noble load?"  
  
If he could have been able to raise his head he would have shot liquid venom from his eyes to the woman. "What have I told you about calling me that?!"  
  
Naro chuckled. " Don't worry Hanagata. It's not much further,"  
  
"You said that ten minutes ago!"  
  
Bloodberry pursed her lips. "Five minutes."  
  
"Whatever!! Why don't you carry this thing?!  
  
The woman chuckled and pulled her lower eyelid down at him. "'Cause it's against proper etiquette for women to carry such large loads."  
  
Hanagata spat and cursed while Otaru broke out laughing.   
  
"We'd better find that ship of yours soon Naro otherwise we may lose Hanagata."  
  
  
Finally Slowing to a stop Naro looked around. "We're here."  
  
Quickly shedding hid load, Hanagata collapsed on top of it. "BAH! Finally!" He raised his head and looked around. "Er... where is it Naro?"  
  
Bloodberry and Otaru looked around as well. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but desert wasteland and clear skies.  
  
"Yeah, Naro. Where's the ship?"  
  
He turned to Bloodberry and smiled. "Right here."  
  
She looked back at him with a puzzled expression. "Huh?"  
  
Otaru turned. "Is this some kind of joke?"  
  
Laughing, the Gray Eye reached into his pocket and pulled out a small little box with a flat button on it. He pointed it straight ahead and pressed. In a flash of electricity and light a large object suddenly appeared before them. From fantail to foc'sle it measured almost thirty feet. It was a large, round star ship. It hovered almost ten feet off the ground attached to the planet by a long thin anchor buried into the earth. As Bloodberry stared up at the ship she couldn't help but be reminded of a large bird of prey, like a hawk or maybe even an eagle. It had large wings that extended out from the fuselage that spanned almost fifty feet from tip to tip. The large nose of the ship jutted forward like a head out from the main body. Behind a massve tail jutted outwards with the fins angled downwards. It was quite a sight.  
  
"It looks like a giant airplane..." Bloodberry breathed. Naro shook his head.  
  
"No, it's a ship all right. Up top is a deck where you can walk about when we're in motion. It's got a bow and stern, fantail and foc'sle and everything else a ship has. It's designed to sail through time."  
  
Bloodberry looked confused. "Fantail? Foc'sle?"  
  
Hanagata answered. "It's ship lingo. Fantail is the stern and the foc'sle is up front where the anchor is stored. I've been through my fair share of sailing books. I still don't see how this is a ship though. It seems like a jet more than anything else."  
  
Naro pushed the button once more and watched the ship descend slowly. "It's designed to travel through time. Time is considered a stream or a river. What do you call a craft designed to sail down a river?"  
  
The blonde man nodded slowly. "A ship..."  
  
"Exactly. She ain't the fastest vessel in the fleet, but she'll get us to Gartlant. She's built to cruise through time not air."  
  
The ship lowered its landing gear and settled itself onto the earth. With a slow hiss a hatch opened up and a landing ramp lowered itself.  
  
Naro turned to the three others and grinned. "All aboard."  
  
  
Inside, Otaru, Bloodberry and Hanagata found the ship to be nice and cool. It felt good to be out of the hot wasteland sun. It was surprisingly roomy inside as well. Although you couldn't tell from the outside there was a lot of space inside the main compartment itself. Hanagata set all the junk he'd been carrying on his back onto the deck of the cabin. Naro motioned for everyone to head up front. He took them to the cockpit. It, too, was surprisingly roomy. Naro had them sit in a few seats positioned behind the captain's chair and buckle themselves up.  
  
"It's going to be a bumpy ride until we get into cruising altitude. Then, if y'want, you can relax on the deck up above until we arrive in Gartlant."  
  
Otaru buckled himself in and tightened the straps. Bloodberry did the same while she watched Hanagata struggle with his. She smiled as the little man cursed and spat at his troubles. In the end he resorted to tying the whole thing into one big knot. Whatever worked...  
  
Naro took his seat up front and looked over his shoulder at the trio.  
  
"Are you guys all set? Bloodberry-chan, you comfortable?"  
  
She nodded and Naro smiled. He turned back around and began to type into the console in front of him. The ship had been in a low power state and was now coming back to fully online. Flipping a switch here and typing a command in there Naro began to coax the ship into life. Below and behind themselves Otaru, Bloodberry and Hanagata could hear the muffled sound of the engine starting up. Hanagata swallowed nervously. He'd never been in a flying machine before.  
  
"A-a-a-are you s-s-sure this things is s-safe?"  
  
"Of course she is. Spera's solid as a rock. Would I take Bloodberry-chan anywhere in a ship that wasn't 100% safe?" he called back not even looking up.  
  
Otaru called out. "Spera?"  
  
"Yeah. It's her name. It's Latin for hopes. Don't worry, you'll be safe."  
  
Slowly the ship powered up. With a jolt it lifted itself free from the ground. On the monitor in front of Naro a flashing windows logo appeared.  
'When would you like to go today?'  
  
Slowly the ship rose itself up from the face of Terra II. Flipping a few more switches the entire ship made a crackling, electric sound. Hanagata freaked out.  
  
"What was that?!"  
  
"Calm down boy, that was the cloaking device re-engaging itself. We don't want half of Japoness watching us take off."  
  
Gripping his seat handles tightly Hanagata began to sweat. Then, softly, over a few speakers hidden in the ship music began to play. Otaru looked around curiously.  
  
"Naro, what is that?"  
  
"It's music. Helps keep me calm during lift off."  
  
Bloodberry tried to discern where it was coming from. "Where's the speakers?"  
  
"Hidden around." Naro grinned. "I like this song. Holds so much meaning for me. Listen to it."  
  
Otaru listened as the tempo and beat began to pick up. It sounded like guitar.  
  
"Where did you get this song from?"  
  
Naro's grinn widened. "It was originally composed on earth. It came all the way from our home world a long, long time ago. I'm not sure if you'll like it much, but I know I do. Listen to it while I prepare the systems."  
  
Otaru sat back and opened his ears. The song did seem a little mellow, despite sounding so different from what he was used to. He caught the lyrics and started to smile.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
So close no matter how far...  
Couldn't be much more from the heart...  
Forever trusting who we are...  
And nothing else matters.  
  
Never opened myself this way...  
Life is ours, we live it our way...  
All these words I don't just say...  
And nothing else matters.  
  
Trust I seek and I find in you,  
every day for us something new.  
Open mind for a different view...  
And nothing else matters!  
  
Never cared for what they do!  
Never cared for what they know!  
But I know...  
  
So close no matter how far...  
It couldn't be much more from the heart...  
Forever trusting who we are...  
And nothing else matters!  
  
Never cared for what they do!!  
Never cared for what they know!!  
But I know...  
  
  
The words reminded Otaru of his maidens. The words reminded him of the relationship they had. He didn't care what anyone else thought about them. He didn't care what they knew about him and his girls. He simply didn't give a damn. Each one of them were special to him in their own way. Everyday they always found something new. Life was theirs, they would live it THEIR way and no one else's. Forever trusting who they were... The lyrics shifted his thoughts to Lime, and then slowly to Cherry, and then finally Bloodberry...  
  
  
I've never opened myself this way.  
Life is ours, we live it our way!  
All these words I don't just say....  
And nothing else matters!  
  
Trust I seek and I find in you,  
Every day for us something new!  
Open mind for a different view...  
And nothing else matters!  
  
Never cared for what they say!  
Never cared for games they play!  
Never cared for what they do!  
Never cared for what they know!  
And I know!!  
  
  
Bloodberry listened as the tempo picked up and the beat increased. She didn't much care for the music, but the words were something else. For some reason she could see Otaru saying them, like he was speaking to all of them, letting them know how he felt about each and every one of them. She looked over to him and smiled slightly. He turned to her and started to smile a little as well. They were both thinking the same thing. Naro sitting up front gazed at their reflections in his screens and smiled. He thought this song would be good. Slowly Naro's ship reached cruising altitude and began to blast off toward Gartlant.  
  
  
...So close no matter how far...  
...Couldn't be much more from the heart...  
...Forever trusting who we are...  
...No nothing else matters...  
  
~Nothing Else Matters  
Metallica  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
It was different way up in the sky. Out on the top deck Otaru could see everything below. The entire land seemed to stretch on for as far as his eyes could see. The sun had fallen and everything shined in the moonlight. The entire country shot past below them in shimmering waves. Above the stars seemed to be less distant. They shimmered up in the sky. He couldn't tell if it was because they were away from Japoness and all the lights or if it was because they were so much close to the shimmering points of light, but they seemed brighter than he remembered.   
  
Bloodberry stood by his side gazing into the heavens herself. It was indeed an inspirational sight. Below, the wasteland shot past with incredible speed. The breeze was gently flowing through her hair and around her body. It kicked and played with the long fiery strands casting them up and about. He turned to her and became aware of how she looked. The moonlight shimmered on each and every strand that blew softly in the wind. Her face was complete calm as she surveyed the land moving past below them. She smiled and breathed in the fresh air enjoying it's taste. Otaru slowly began to smile. Bloodberry looked over and saw her master's soft expression.   
  
"Something wrong, Otaru?"  
  
He shook his head gently. "No. Everything's perfect, ne?"  
  
"Perfect?" Bloodberry turned and surveyed the landscape once more. A small smile came to her lips as well. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Everything is perfect..."  
  
Otaru leaned on his hand and continued to smile at his maiden. "You look beautiful, Bloodberry."  
  
The woman arched her eyebrows and turned. "Otaru?"  
  
"I mean it. I can see the moon shining off your hair. I can see it's light accenting your face. The shadows are playing beautifully across your features. You look gorgeous, Bloodberry-chan."  
  
The woman blushed and turned away. "Otaru... You embarrass me. It's a good thing Hanagata isn't here. He'd blow a blood vessel hearing you say that."  
  
The young man chuckled. "Yes, I know what you mean. He's still down below strapped to that chair of his. He wouldn't come up here if his life depended on it. He's scared of us falling to our deaths."  
  
Bloodberry began to laugh as well. "Yeah, that sounds like him." They trailed off and watched the countryside pass by silently. Otaru silently watched the landscape below them. It really was beautiful. Bloodberry turned around and leaned against the railing.   
  
"Otaru..."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
He looked over at him somberly. "Otaru...I...I don't mind telling you this because it's true..."  
  
"Bloodberry?"  
  
The maiden took a deep breath. "I'm scared, Otaru."   
  
The young man immediately became serious. He let her continue.  
  
"For the first time, I'm scared. I...I'm almost terrified. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose you. I'm afraid I'm going to lose everyone. All my sisters, and my family, everyone I know, this time maybe forever. I'm terrified that this will become like some blissful dream, a brief respite from the hell and carnage that bore me into this world." She turned to Otaru and shook her head.  
  
"Do you know what we are, Otaru? We're a broken dream. We are one man's vision that may never come to pass. Naro told us he wanted us back for our genetic coding and then he so quickly turned around and said that he would help us fight against Ghenna. I hope and prey he's sincere. The decision he made wasn't one most people could make on such a short notice. He may be our last hope. He's a Gray Eye. He'll be able to do things no other person will be able to do because of that.  
  
"Something inside of my head is telling me that Ghenna will come. That he will arrive in the most terrible of fashions and take me away from everyone. We've all said bold words and made bold promises, but in the end I'm afraid that nothing we will do will keep us from getting reclaimed by that man. I'm so scared, Otaru. I'm so afraid..."  
  
She brought her arms up and clasped them in her hands. Otaru watched her head drop as her hair spilled away in the wind. Truth be told he was afraid as well. That same little voice in his head was saying the same thing. He knew that despite all their would fight against it the old man would win. The old man with the glittering eyes. The old man with the terrible smile.  
  
Otaru leaned close to his maiden and put his arm around her. Wordlessly he held her, giving her as much comfort as he could. They both knew what would be the outcome. They held each other knowing that would be one of the last times fate would allow them to do so. Bloodberry leaned against her master and closed her eyes. Otaru finally spoke softly.  
  
"That doesn't mean we can't keep fighting on."  
  
She slowly let a small smile creep across her lips and nodded. Long minutes passed while the two people held each other. The wind softly went by stirring their hair and clothing. They basked in the moonlight, savoring the moment, perhaps one of their last. The ship carried on shooting across the landscape, quietly humming on toward its destination, while the world around them fell at peace. Life slowly came to a pause for them.  
  
  
That peace was shattered a few minutes later when there was the familiar crackle of the deck's loud speaker system. It was Naro.  
  
"ALL RIGHT, IF YOU ALL WOULD TURN YOUR DIRECTION TO THE NORTH YOU WILL SEE THE LOVELY CITY OF GARTLANT. THAT'S OUR DESTINATION. Y'NEED TO COME BACK DOWN SO WE CAN LAND SAFELY."  
  
And with another crackle of the mike system fell silent. Looking over their shoulders they saw the city sliding by. Naro was circling the ship around to find a suitable landing zone. The lights shone brightly from all the towers and neon signs all over the place. Gartlant was known for its booming industry and commercial districts. It was the place where people had dreams of being rich went. If you couldn't make it there, you wouldn't be able to make it anywhere. Faust was renowned for nurturing this city to what it was today. It was a center of a cultural melting pot. It was seen by many as the center of growth in all of Terra II. With Japoness ideals and the New Texan sense of progress it flourished.  
  
Bloodberry smiled. "I always wanted to see this place..."  
  
Otaru joined her smile. "So beautiful. You see that tower right there? Right in the center there?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah?"  
  
"That's where Faust lives. It's his home. From there he watches over his entire city. My bet is that your sisters are safely living inside there."  
  
Bloodberry's eyes grew wide as she looked up and down the mighty tower. It was brightly lit with many windows and lights. It looked like a magnificent tower of Babel hoping to stretch itself high into the sky and touch with heaven.  
  
"They're living in that?" She said breathlessly. Otaru was about to nod when the mike system came back on.  
  
"HELLO YOU TWO. Y'NEED TO COME BACK DOWN BELOW DECK. I'M BEGINNING THE LANDING SQUENCE RIGHT NOW."  
  
Taking one last glance at the magnificent city and the massive tower in the center the two headed below deck.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The Spera landed almost half a mile from the front gates of the city. Naro re-cloaked the ship as they left and his winged starcraft disappeared from sight. The four made their way straight for the main gate. According to Naro it was close to ten at night.  
  
"I wonder if the old man will even be awake..."  
  
Hanagata (who was glad beyond words to have his feet planted once more firmly on the ground) trudged behind the main group.  
  
"Remind me again why we're here."  
  
Otaru tuned an annoyed eye to the little man. "Bloodberry has family here and we've come to ask the oldest man on the planet for help regarding our situation."  
  
The woman in question walked up along side Naro. She was covered, head to foot, in an over cloak very similar to the one Naro wore the first day he arrived. They decided that a brightly colored, happy, smiling marionette would attract too much attention. Under the coat she would be a lot less conspicuous.   
  
As they came closer to the main gates the lights became brighter and brighter. Some said the city was more alive at night than in the day and by the degree of noise coming from the streets they could have been correct. Naro's face was lit up brightly by all the night lights. Bloodberry turned and was about to ask him how they planned on getting to Faust inside the tower when she saw his eyes. They were blue. She had to look twice to make sure she was really seeing them. It wasn't just the reflection of the city lights, his eyes were genuinely blue.  
  
"N-Naro, your eyes! What happened?"  
  
Hanagata looked up irritably. "What about his eyes?"  
  
"T-they're blue!"  
  
Otaru stepped forward. "What?"  
  
The not-so-gray-eyed man turned to Bloodberry and smiled. "It's my system working for me again. I don't want Faust to know what I am until we get our plea out to him. I think that perhaps my eyes should remain a secret until the proper time, ne?"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
They passed the main gates and the friendly guards standing there and moved into the city. Bloodberry was dazzled by all the bright lights, pretty signs, happy people and busy streets. Hanagata was blinded. Otaru pointed things out here and there to the woman that he knew about the city. He visited the place once or twice himself a long time ago.  
  
"Otaru, Otaru! What is that?"  
  
"It looks like a dance club to me, can't you hear the music?"  
  
"So that's where it was coming from. Oooh, what's he selling?"  
  
"Those are bead necklaces, apparently those are all the rage now-a-days."  
  
"Ahh! Kawaii!!! Are those what I think they are?!"  
  
"Heh, yup, ponta plushies."  
  
"Ooh, Otaru can we buy one!? Can we? Can we? Can we?"  
  
"Err... I'm sorry Bloodberry, I didn't bring any money."  
  
"Wait a second, Bloodberry. I think I might have some. Lemme check my pockets here... Yup! Give these coins to the guy at the counter and see if he accepts them."  
  
"Hah! Thank you Naro-kun!"  
  
"Wow, look at her go. Hey where'd you get that money Naro?"  
  
"Huh? Err, a few days ago when those men attacked Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry I was sitting next to them at a bar. They didn't buy anything but left money anyway, so I figured I might need some currency and took it off the counter."  
  
"Hah hah, very good. How much did you give her?"  
  
"Beats me. I don't know how much I took."  
  
"Yay! Otaru!! He accepted Japoness Curency!! Lookie, Lookie!!"  
  
"Haha, that's a big one, Bloodberry. It's color matches well with your hair."  
  
"Y'think so?"  
  
"Mmmhmm."  
  
"Psh, how come you're acting so childish?"  
  
"Well look who's Mr. Grumpy. Would his Hana-ness like a nap."  
  
"As a matter of fact I would... And don't call me that!!"  
  
  
They made their way through the city slowly making their way to the tower. Bloodberry saw many things along their trip. The entire city was new and fascinating for her. She'd never been to anyplace like this before. Gartlant was bright, happy and wonderful.  
  
When they finally came close to the tower Bloodberry had a small sack full of goodies and trinkets she'd purchased along the way. Naro's money went a long way. He loaned her a few of his gold coins when she ran out of the Japoness currency. Making their way to the front of the tower they stopped and took full view of majestic sight before them. For Bloodberry the tower seemed to extend hundreds of miles into the sky. It was like a giant, shining beacon on all the face of Terra II.  
  
The front lobby of the tower was lined by giant, glass walls. The doorway rotated on its axis, much to Bloodberry's amazement, instead of sliding open. Inside the building was cool and temperate; everything a nice 68°. The long, open lobby had a dark blue tiled floor dotted with the occasional potted palm plant. The walls were the same color as the floor; everything lined and edged in silver. At the far end, past the occasional bench was a long desk. A single marionette was placed behind it. They approached it conscious of the loud click-clacking their feet made on the tile. There was a stark difference inside here than outside- noise. Outside it was loud and like a celebration. Inside it was quiet and ambient.  
  
Upon sensing them the Marionette came alive. She smiled her automatic smile and fixed its dead gaze upon the four.  
  
"Good Evening Sirs. How may I help you?"  
  
Her voice was blank and robotic. Naro smiled anyway at it.  
  
"Yes, we need to see Lord Faust right away, it is urgent."  
  
The machine twitched. "I am sorry but Faust-sama is not open for meetings and interviews now."  
  
The Gray Eye frowned. "Do you know when he will be?"  
  
"You [twitch] have to make an appointment with him."  
  
Naro leaned back and whispered to Otaru. "Are all marionettes so buggy and twitchy?"  
  
"No, she's an older model, a very old model. Heavy as hell."  
  
"Hmmm." Naro nodded. He turned back to the robot and smiled once more.  
  
"Ma'am, I am afraid that we can not wait for an appointment. This is a matter of most importance!"  
  
"You [twitch] have to make an appointment with him."  
  
The Gray Eye clenched his fist. "Now listen here. I'm losing my patience with you-"  
  
"Threats can be construed as a form of violence. [twitch] Please desist."  
  
"Well then let me in! I'll quit when you let me see Lord Faust!"  
  
"You [twitch] have to make an appointment with him."  
  
Otaru smiled in amusement as the Gray Eye began to knash and grind his teeth together. This was almost funny.  
  
"Ok, ok..." He said finally relenting. "Can we get in to see him tomorrow?"  
  
"Let me scan appointments... ... ..."  
  
"...Well?"  
  
"... ... ...Negative. All appointment slots are filled. If you like I can schedule one for you."  
  
"No, how about the day after?"  
  
"Let me scan appointments... ... ..."  
  
Naro pursed his lips and stood by silently.  
  
"... ... ...Negative. All appointment slots are filled. If you like I can schedule one for you."  
  
"Grrr... Fine, when's the earliest you can get me in?"  
  
"Let me scan appointments... ... ..."  
  
"God dammit! Hurry up you piece of junk!!"  
  
"... ... ...The next available appointment is on... JULY 2ND..."  
  
"Not too bad, the day after next."  
  
"...1031."  
  
"THE HELL!?! THAT'S TWO YEARS FROM NOW!!"  
  
"Would you like me to schedule the appointment?"  
  
"I'll schedule your ass!!"  
  
The Gray Eye leaped upon the marionette and began furiously throttling it. The machine beeped, whirred and twitched under him.  
  
"Bzzt. [twitch] Threats can be, [whrrr] Warning! You are violating- [twitch] construed as violence. Please- Bzzt. WARNING! WARNING! WAR[twitch]NING!"  
  
Naro unknowingly activated the building's security alert, but he was so busy trying to strangle the helpless doll that he failed to notice the red, flashing lights and the klaxons that went off. A second later ten saber dolls stormed into the lobby. They formed up around the stupid little man and raised their guns.  
  
"Freeze! Take your hands off the marionette and raise them high into the air! Be advised: we are authorized to use lethal force!"  
  
Naro paused his violent administrations on the doll in front of him and turned. The saber dolls behind him raised their weapons. Just out side the ring, Otaru and Bloodberry stood watching him anxiously.  
  
"You'd better do as they say Naro!" Otaru called over. "These are saber dolls. They're savage fighters!"  
  
Dropping the half broken marionette behind him, the Gray Eye rose and turned. He grinned like gargoyle. "Only ten? You guys forget I'm elite! These are robots, ne?"  
  
"Y-yes, Naro, but still you need to-"  
  
Naro rose to his full height on the long desk and unsheathed the knife on his shoulder.  
  
"Bring em on then..."  
  
Pressing a small button the dagger lit up. A translucent beam shot outwards from the body of the dagger turning it into a beam Katana. Giving the most avatarish of smiles he laughed and leapt into the midst of the Saber Dolls.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Robot parts were strewn all over the lobby. A head here, an arm there, all over the desk and floor broken junk could be found. Naro sat to the side nursing his aching head. Bloodberry wiped her hands and nodded. Naro was right, they were easy kills. She grinned down onto him.  
  
"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it Keinaro?"  
  
The Gray Eye shot death from his eyes up to her. The first thing he did was slip and knock his head on the counter. Bloodberry and Otaru had to beat back the Saber Dolls and pull Naro's body out of the fray. Bloodberry quickly dispatched what was left with nary a scratch. She should have known. These were the same types as the ones she fought in the arenas for Otaru.  
  
Rising to his feet he did his best to dust himself off.  
  
"Well... Be that as it may, that takes care of the guards..." He paused. Hanagata was rolling on the ground laughing as hard as his body would let him. Trying to ignore the annoying little man he continued. "...And...It looks like the rest of the tower is wide open to us. My money is that Faust is on or around the top floor of this building. We can probably take an elevator all the way up- WILL YOU CUT THAT LAUGHING OUT MITSURUGI!!!"  
  
A voice behind him made them all turn. "You're not going anywhere. You're little party ends here."  
  
Everyone turned. There was another marionette standing behind the counter. Naro couldn't see her eyes; her short-cut blue hair fell over them concealing them from the group. The Gray Eye couldn't help his wandering eyes. They went all over her body. From the pair of soft, creamy thighs to the wide hips up past her soft, round voluptuous...  
  
Naro swallowed. If this was a newer marionette model, he was going to pick up one of his own when this was all over with. The doll frowned and raised her hands into a fighting stance. Naro groaned and rose to his feet. Raising his hands as well he sighed. He didn't want to fight this one, she was pretty.  
  
"You don't know what you're getting into, Man. I am not some helpless doll."  
  
Naro smirked. "And I am not just any old 'man'."  
  
"We'll see. En Garde!"   
  
Just as the Gray Eye was about to lunge forward Bloodberry stepped in his way. The woman cocked her head and peered at the new Marionette.  
  
"...L-Luchs?"  
  
The Marionette's guard dropped for a moment. She looked taken back. Otaru stepped forward and narrowed his eyes. Did Bloodberry just call her...  
  
"L-Luchs! Is it really you?!"  
  
The marionette seemed to become confused. "W-who's asking? How do you know my name?"  
  
Bloodberry smiled and lowered her hood. "Krysta! Krysta it's me! Aiko! Bloodberry!"  
  
Luch's guard dropped completely. "A-Aiko... is that really you?"  
  
Bloodberry quickly stepped forward and opened her arms. "Luchs!!"  
  
The sisters ran up to one another and for the first time in many years they embraced.  
  
"Oh my god, Bloodberry! It's really you! I don't believe this!! You made it out alive! You're ok! You're ok!!"  
  
Grinning from ear to ear Bloodberry held her sister tightly. "Luchs! You look so much different! You cut your hair, you look like a totally different woman now!"  
  
The blue haired maiden began to sniff back a few tears. "I know! It's been a long time! My god, you haven't changed a bit!"  
  
"Hehe, I know. My master seems to love me just the way I am!"  
  
  
The three men stood by almost dumbly as the woman chattered and talked excitedly. This was Luchs?! No one ever told them she was down right gorgeous! Even Hanagata couldn't swallow all his latent instinct. He found his eyes wandering up the long, silky legs of the woman. Catching himself he shook his head and turned to Otaru. What was he thinking?! The only love in his life was Otaru! How dare his eyes wander so blatantly up the legs...of...such a....beautiful...  
  
Bloodberry pulled back and kissed her long lost sister on the cheek. "How is Tiger and Panta? Are they safe and well? Did they make it too?"  
  
"I should be asking you the same thing! Yes, we all made it safely here. Everyone's fine! How about on your end? Is Lime Ok? Did Cherry make it through all right?"  
  
"Cherry's safe. She and Lime are both Ok. They made it."  
  
Luchs smiled brightly. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear this. How is Lime today? Did she ever get over Kaiser's death?"  
  
Bloodberry's smile faded as she became somber. "Maybe we should all sit down and talk about this. I'd love to meet my other sisters again."  
  
Luchs saw her sister's face and nodded. "All right, Bloodberry-chan. Let's head on up."  
  
Bloodberry held back a second. "Oh! Wait a minute Luchs. I forgot to introduce you to my companions."  
  
"Huh?" The Blue haired maiden turned as Bloodberry stepped back.   
  
"This is Otaru, he's our new master. He's taking care of all three of us. This is Keinaro. Uh, We'll have to talk about him once we get up with Lord Faust. Um, this man, kinda is why we're here."  
  
Luchs nodded slowly. "A-all right. Who's the blonde one?"  
  
"Oh him?" Bloodberry said offhandedly. "He's Hanagata. He's just along for the ride. Come on, let's go see your sisters!!"  
  
She ignored Hana's snort and beckoned everyone to follow Luchs. Keinaro held back for a moment and looked down at the mess all over the floor. There were marionette parts strewn everywhere.  
  
"Ummm, Luchs, ma'am? Uhh, what do you want us to do about this mess?"  
  
The new Maiden turned and simply waved her hand. "Don't worry, the janitor dolls will take care of it for us. Please, all of you, follow me."  
  
  
Bloodberry and Luchs chatted away happily as the elevator rose up from the ground floor. Naro did his best to hold back his wandering eyes. This new woman was very pretty. She had a sparkle in her smile he was especially attracted to. Waiting patiently as the lift took them from up higher into the tower Otaru also watched the two women eagerly. He'd never seen Bloodberry so happy before in his entire life. Toting the bag of goodies she had purchased she talked and laughed like she didn't have a care in the world. It was a stark change from the Bloodberry he had seen on the deck of the Spera. The numbers on the dial slowly ticked away.   
  
"So where is Cherry and Lime? Didn't they come with?"  
  
"No, we had to leave Lime behind. Cherry was chosen to stay back and watch over her."  
  
"Oh? What was wrong with Lime?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. There's nothing wrong with Lime physically. We couldn't bring her for another reason."  
  
"Really? What is it?"  
  
"I'll tell you once we all get settled down. How has life been treating you since you've left?"  
  
"Dear Lord, Life has become a blessing. For the first time in a long time we're all so happy. Faust has become a second father to us. He treats all of us so well. Life has completely turned around!"  
  
"Yeah, we know! It's the same for us. Otaru has been so kind to us as well. The only thing missing from our lives were you three."  
  
"Mmm, the same with us. My god. Otaru-kun, Has anyone told you that you look so much like Kaiser?"  
  
"Yes, that's what I've been told."  
  
"Wow, Lime must be all over you then!"  
  
"Oh yeah, Miss Luchs, indeed she is. Indeed she is."  
  
The woman smiled and looked up to the floor dial. For the first time that night Naro saw her hair fall away from her face and her eyes peeked out. He found himself smiling slightly. They were blue! Such a deep, and beautiful shade as well. It was like gazing into two deep whirlpools. He almost fell head long into them...  
  
The elevator came to a sudden stop and the door came open.   
  
"We're here!" She said happily and stepped out of the elevator. "Tiger! Panta!! Come here, you wouldn't believe who's here!!"  
  
Otaru's ears picked up another voice a little softer than Luchs.  
  
"Shh, Faust-sama's gone to bed already Luchs. Who is it?"  
  
A woman with bright, yellow hair stepped around the corner and Naro's and Otaru's jaws dropped.  
  
"Panta! Look, It's Bloodberry!! It's our sister!"  
  
The new woman narrowed her only eye; the other was covered by a star shaped eye-patch.  
  
"B-Bloodberry?! Is that really you?!"  
  
The sisters ran forward and a scene similar from the one down in the lobby began to play out.  
  
"Bloodberry! You made it!!"  
  
"Panta! Look at you! You made it as well!"  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you! It's been so long!"  
  
"Hai, you too Panta-chan! Look at yourself! What happened to your eye?! What's with the eye patch?"  
  
"Haha, it's purely cosmetic. It's really a lens. It's a sensor system Faust-sama built for me! But you Bloodberry! You haven't changed a bit!"  
  
"Haha, I've had no need to..."  
  
  
The men stared slack jawed at the second goddess that appeared. This one, as well, was tall, sensuous and stunningly beautiful. Her long golden hair came down her back gently tied into a loose braid. Her close fit much like her sister's. Every curve, smooth patch of skin... Hanagata slapped himself yet again for his wandering eyes, Otaru shook his head and did his best to avert his gaze while Naro tried his best to sniff back an on coming nosebleed. Faust, indeed, had beautiful women. Naro heard a third voice come from the hallway.  
  
"What was wrong Luchs? Who's there?"  
  
From around the corner, Tiger; her hair snipped short and wearing a large, floppy hat, stepped in. All three of the men passed out.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Half an hour later they had recovered and sat around the table discussing what had happened since the women last parted. Apparently, when the three woman finally landed they touched down just out side of Gartlant. Faust sent a few surveillance marionettes out there to investigate what had caused such a vicious plasma storm. Instead of discovering what caused the violent storms they, instead, found the three women. That was almost five years ago for them. Ever since they've been living strong, happy lives under their new master. Faust was a kind and generous man, one who rarely went into fits of anger and rage. Under his guidance life had been good for the three woman. They even darkly hinted that Faust had also been great lover in bed. All three of the men present at the table did their best to banish the dirty thoughts from their minds. That was NOT jealousy they were feeling...  
  
Bloodberry sat down and began to explain as best she could what had happened to themselves. She was careful to avoid Keinaro's secret, she didn't want her sisters to adopt her previous attitude about Naro before he had a chance to prove himself to them. She received quite a few questioning glances from them anyway. Her story didn't add up in many parts. All four of the guests knew. Many times Tiger or Luchs interrupted with questions about things that didn't make sense. Bloodberry did her best to brush them off and move on with her story. In the end her sisters shook their heads doubtfully.  
  
"Bloodberry-chan, you're not telling us everything. How did Naro know we lived here in Gartlant? How were you able to get here from Japoness of all places so quickly? What is it you're not telling us?"  
  
Bloodberry swallowed and turned her eyes to Otaru. Wincing the young man turned his to Naro. Sagging his shoulders sadly and taking a drink from the glass of alcohol he had been given he spoke.   
  
"You... You three women don't have much time left here..."  
  
Panta cocked her head. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
Naro paused and swallowed nervously. He prepared for the oncoming explosion.  
  
"Lord Ghenna is coming for all of you..."  
  
All of the three pairs of eyes turned to him went wide. They rose quickly with shocked expressions stamped onto their features.  
  
"What do you mean by that?!"  
  
"How do you know about this?!"  
  
"Where'd you discover this?!"  
  
Under their gaze Naro began to wilt. He did his best to shrink away from them as they leaned over and began to scream. Just as he was starting to shake from their outcries a voice carried over all of them and saved him.  
  
"Tiger, Panta, Luchs! Stop this immediately, he is a guest."  
  
Almost immediately the women jumped to attention and fell silent. From their left a tall, old man with long, faded blonde hair limped into the room. He walked leaning heavily on a cane in his right hand. He was clean shaven and especially well built for one his age. When Naro saw him he rose quickly to his feet. The man smiled weakly and motioned for him to sit.  
  
"Now, now. You are a guest in my home. There is no need for that." Walking over to the head of the long table they sat at he took a seat with a small grunt. The long, black clothing he wore folded away revealing his thin, but strong frame.  
  
"I thought I heard guests. It's been a while since anyone arrived up here on such short notice. My maidens usually go a good job of keeping all the people away from here." He leaned over to Tiger and whispered in her ear. She nodded and went to a side cabinet and began to reach in. The old man turned to his remaining maidens, still standing an softly told them to sit. He turned back to the four new comers and smiled, especially to Naro.  
  
"You must excuse my maidens, sometimes they can be so very quick tempered. I am who they call Faust von Gerhart, Lord of the great kingdom of Gartlant. Who might be here to make my acquaintance?"  
  
"I am Bloodberry, Lord Faust. This is my master, Mamiya, Otaru. This is our traveling companion Hanagata and to your left his Hajima, Keinaro. He's the bearer of our bad news."  
  
Faust cocked an eye while Tiger returned handing him a small glass of wine. "You're a woman, aren't you? Not just another marionette?"  
  
She nodded. "Yes. I'm Tiger, Luchs' and Panta's sister."  
  
"Weren't there four others as well?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Two are back home and two..."  
  
Bloodberry's sisters leaned forward. They weren't told this in the story.  
  
"...Two are?"  
  
Naro saw Bloodberry's inhibition and took over. "They didn't make it."  
  
Tiger turned to Panta and Panta to her sister Luchs. She turned to Naro intently.  
  
"W-what do you mean by that? How do you know where they are?"  
  
Naro took a deep breath and frowned. "They never left the lab. Their explosive went off before they had any chance to escape. They're still under Lord Ghenna."  
  
The woman sat back in shock. "H-how do you know this?"  
  
Faust stood up slowly leaning heavily on his cane. He was smiling. "It seems Mr. Hajima is the bearer of so much bad news." Slowly he limped over to Naro's seat.  
  
"You also were the one to tell us that Ghenna was on his way, ne? Heh heh, good, I'm not losing my hearing." He stood beside the man and smiled. "You seem to be a very honest man. Tell me something, you're not from around here, are you?"  
  
Naro went on his guard. "Y-yes, you can say that."  
  
Slowly Faust nodded. Without warning he whipped his cane out from under him and struck out at Naro. Faster than anyone could follow the Gray Eye snapped his arm up and caught the long, black object inches from his face. Faust's smile deepened/  
  
"I thought so. You don't need to hide yourself any longer. You can't fool my eyes, I'm far too old."  
  
Naro narrowed his. "What... How did you know?"  
  
Faust turned around and began to head for a far door. "No one, and I mean no one in this day and age refers to Ghenna as 'Lord'. He is merely a ghost of the past. He isn't anyone's Lord any more." He paused and turned back to Naro. "Come with me Gray Eye. Tiger, Panta, Luchs, take care of the rest of our guests. Mr. Hajima and I have many things to go over."  
  
The maidens rose and gaped at Naro. Did their master just call him 'Gray Eye?! Quickly pushing himself away from the table Naro made a hasty retreat towards Faust. They both entered a small room and locked the door behind them. Bloodberry spent the next few hours explaining everything to her sisters leaving out nothing this time.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro entered a small study. The ceiling was high and reflected the flickers of the small fire burning in the side fireplace. There were many, many books lined along the walls stretching from the floor up to the ceiling. There were two, plush, high backed chairs centered around a small table upon which sat a small tea set. Faust motioned to one of the chairs and made his way over to the fireplace. Naro took a seat and watched was Faust reached for a poker and stirred the dying embers into life once more. Tossing in a log he turned to Naro.  
  
"I hope you don't mind, but I find the chairs in here much easier on my back." With a groan he took a seat and smiled. "I'm sorry I cannot offer you any tea, this set here before you is empty; I wasn't expecting company. "  
  
Naro nodded and settled himself into the large chair. Faust leaned back with a groan himself and smiled. He reached around and pushed a small button on a phonograph resting on a small table. Music, similar to a Russian chant began to drift across the room setting the atmosphere.  
  
"There. Now, we can finally talk."  
  
"About what?"  
  
Faust raised his eyebrows and opened his hands. "About everything. Tell me...Tell me about yourself Gray Eye. Tell me about who you are."  
  
Naro paused and narrowed his eyes. "U-um, well... I am Hajima, Keinaro. E-everyone I know calls me Naro. I am a former Gray Eye previously working under the direction of Lord Ghenna of the kingdom of Mesopotamia."  
  
" 'Former' Gray Eye?"  
  
"Yeah..." The man nodded slowly. "I'm betraying my country and my father by helping these women. I'm undoing everything I've ever woven about my life. I'm casting my past and my future away."  
  
"Not an easy decision."  
  
"I had two, solid days for which to think about it. I learned that an old mentor, my role model for life, gave his life to save these women."  
  
"Kaiser?"  
  
"Yeah. I learned that I mistakenly reversed everything he died for. I've always lived my life trying to follow in his footsteps, and now I'm trying to undo what I've done. I've always tried to live like he once did and, if in his moment of glory, died trying to save these women then I feel it is my duty to follow in his step."  
"Those are bold words Naro. They seem to come from your heart. I've never seen a Gray Eye say such things before. It's almost surprising. However, they are only words. Words never amount to anything unless action follows. You made a decision that will dramatically turn the course of your life. I don't think that two days was really enough time for you to make that decision in a rational manner, boy. The time will come when you will have to stand behind them. Then we shall see your true mettle, ne? We shall see how true your words really are."  
  
Naro sat silently while Faust moved to reposition himself in his chair.  
  
"Now, there is one thing that I don't know about you. You mentioned, just a moment ago, that you did something to undo what Noble Kaiser died for. This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with this coming of Ghenna, would it?"  
  
The Gray Eye turned his head and sighed.  
  
"Indeed. I, I..." He swallowed. "After I first came here and discovered who the women really were, I ran from them. I saved the one called Lime's life. They took me in not knowing who I was. When they found out the one called Cherry struck me down and knocked me out. I regained consciousness to find Otaru with them. He beckoned me to share a meal with them while behind his back the two women shot fire at me from their eyes. I wilted under their stare and fled the house.  
  
"My orders were to call Lord Ghenna when we discovered the women. He wanted to recollect their DNA and use it to spawn many generations of women. Each of them have a maiden's heart inside their bodies-"  
  
Faust interupted. "Yes, I know about this. It is the key to who their being is. To the likes of me it is a safe for which I have no key. Plugging them in and tinkering around is far too risky. I cannot obtain their DNA any other way- the cells die and destroy themselves the second they leave the body."  
  
Naro nodded. "Yeah. Lord Ghenna knows how to retrieve the data with out killing them."  
  
Faust smirked and shook his head. "And you believed his story and called home right after you left?"  
  
"...Yes."  
  
The old man chuckled and rose from his chair. "And you believed such a blatant lie. Oh, wait, I forgot. You are a Gray Eye and Ghenna is your father. Only true tones does that old windbag blow. He could never lie to you sheep, ne?"  
  
Naro bristled. "Sheep?"  
  
"Yes, sheep." He turned and started to limp away slowly. "You are all sheep. Everyone of you Gray Eye. Granted you are sheep designed into perfect killing machines you are sheep none the less. The wool he has pulled over your eyes is thicker than your sense!"  
  
"Now wait a minute-"  
  
Faust raised his hand and Naro stopped.  
  
"Naro, you and Kaiser seem to be the only ones out of that entire legion that sees Ghenna for what he truly is. You have opened your eyes and are struggling to pull the wool free from your vision." Slowly turning the aging leader of Gartlant gave a soft smile. "We shall see how badly you wish to view what is the truth."  
  
Naro frowned and shook his head. "Yeah..."  
  
Faust chuckled. "Oh, you are such a typical Gray Eye. Around your elders you change. Everything from your attitude to the way you talk to your very mannerisms change. I guess all that conditioning amounts to something, ne?"  
  
Naro fell silent once more as Faust carried on.  
  
"Dear God on high I regret ever creating that creature. At the time he was our hopes and dreams, the one that would carry on our work. Now he is just a scar of our past. Some terrible demon long since dead. You say he's coming back. That means that he really did figure out how to travel through time. Well of course he did, I am here talking to you, correct?"   
  
Faust approached a thin, broad leafed plant and began to examine it.  
  
"Sometimes... Sometimes I wonder, Keinaro. I think about that night when Mesopotamia, the ship mind you, not the empire, went berserk. I remember those alarms going off and the screams of the crew, everyone rushing to their stations. Me and five others, the cowards we were, made for the escape shuttle almost right away. I suppose that is why we were the only ones to escape. As the ship began to destroy itself we ejected ourselves from the ship toward the planet below taking what data we could with us. Somehow we overlooked female, human DNA. Mesopotamia fired her thrusters hours after we touched down and dashed herself across the face of Terra II.  
  
"Do you know what we found out, Naro? An experimental artificial intelligence system onboard the ship had gone berserk and taken over the whole starcraft. A young, 'child' genius by the name of Lorelei had been working on that system designing the AI. Lorelei and I were in love."  
  
Faust stopped examining the plant and a dreamy look came to his eyes. "We wanted so much to live out the rest of our lives together. After the new AI system worked we were going to start a new paradise of our own and live out our days in happiness and joy. The AI was the springboard to our success, she would tell me. She said that using that AI she could revolutionize all computer AI systems. That a smart system that could think and feel would eventually replace all the AI standards at that time. She even had a way to give that computer emotions of its own. She broke down her own memories and emotions into three parts that would cover the three main aspects of her own personality, it was quite genius. It would give the computer life and feelings of its own."  
  
Naro saw the old man's face suddenly fall. "She never got a chance to test that system. The AI went insane one day and destroyed everyone on board. Us six original men were the only ones to escape. Lorelei...died when the ship crashed itself on the planet. We were able to recover some of the data cores from the wreckage and do you know what we found? Do you know what we discovered? Do you know why you are sitting here, talking to me over one thousand years after it happened?"  
  
Faust raised a finger. "One, little, mistake, boy. One little slip caused everything. One little flaw that made its way past Lorelei. In the computer's AI code we discovered what caused it to go berserk. It wanted Lorelei for itself. It had fallen in 'love' with the woman and wanted to keep it for its own. We also found out what caused the ship to ram itself into the planet. In the line of code Lorelei had hand typed there was a mistake in the AI logic programming. A period was missing from a critical string. Where there should have been a dot there wasn't.  
  
"Just one period. The AI code crashed itself and made an attempt to recover itself from scratch. The code, somehow, worked its way into a viscous loop. That little dot in the code was the command to terminate after it ran the cycle. It wasn't there so it didn't; it couldn't! The computer cycled it self until it fried all its logic circuits. It took a couple good hours until it finally did so. When it did it saw no reason not to fire its thrusters and drive itself into the planet. Lorelei died shortly after it made that choice.  
  
"Can you believe it Naro? Just one little mistake my little Lorelei made is the reason we are all down here. Just one. A little slip, maybe? Perhaps she was tired and just missed the dot and unknowingly continued on. Maybe her hand just casually fell off the board instead of punching the key? Or maybe someone entered her lab and distracted her, we'll never know. All I can tell you is that one, little mistake is why we are all here."  
  
Faust pursed his lips a moment before turning back and walking to his seat. Naro sat silently. Was that it? Just one slip of a finger was why everyone was all here? That's it?! He'd always seen it as a much more great and grandiose thing, something of epic proportions. This was shocking!  
  
Faust settled himself into his chair and leaned back once more.  
  
"I often wondered what would have happened if Lorelei had typed that single keystroke. The AI system would still have gone insane killing everyone, but Lorelei would have lived, I know it! The computer was after her, after all. The system was inherently flawed, something on a much grander scale than a single dot at the end of a line. It was bound to happen.  
  
"Now I often wonder how would have things been different had that single press of a button had been there. How different do you think life would have been? Would any of us still be here? I wonder about myself. How different a man do you think I would have become had Lorelei lived. I know I would have devoted every waking moment of my existence into finding her and bringing her home, down here, freeing her from that machine. I lay awake at night sometimes wondering, myself, how different things would have been." He trailed off and shook his head. "Life is such an unbelievable thing, isn't it? The course of billions of lives altered and changed because one woman made one tiny mistake. It's almost like the Gods out there are punishing all women for that one's mistake buy destroying everyone that ever came with her on that cursed journey. One key, Naro, one key..."  
  
Faust looked over and saw the look on Naro's face. It was one of astonishment mix with a healthy dose of disbelief. "What do you think, Naro?"  
  
The Gray Eye chuckled and shook his head. "I think you think too much."  
  
Faust returned his smiles with a toothy grin and few chuckles himself.   
  
"Just like a Gray Eye. Maybe you are right. Maybe I do think too much, but in my age it's the only thing that keeps me sane apart from Tiger, Panta and Luchs.   
  
"Pardon me, Naro, for digressing so. Please, continue on with what you were saying. You, uhh, told Ghenna where all our women are and came here? Please, I'm still a little unsure about what exactly you are saying. Start over, from the beginning. Tell me about yourself. Everything."  
  
Naro nodded and began. He started from the very beginning. Mentioning Kaiser and his childhood he told Faust everything. He went through his arrival on the planet's surface, wandering the streets of Japoness, finding the marionettes, his self inflicted exile, waking up to hear Cherry explaining everything to Otaru and the realization that Kaiser, the man whom who's life he did his best to live by died sending those women to a better life. He told Faust it was from then that he promised himself and the women that he would do his best to forsake his past and his life, much like Kaiser had done, to protect them from what he could. He finished with the explanation of why they came to Gartlant.  
  
Faust nodded slowly. He was silent through out the entire narrative allowing Naro to relate his story without any interruptions. When he finished Faust shook his head and sat back. They both fell silent for a minute while the leader of Gartlant thought. Naro came to attention when he heard the old man chuckle.  
  
"Well this is one hell of a mess you've gotten all of us into. The smart thing is to simply let Ghenna take the women and have his way with them. However we both know that this is completely unacceptable. We've both fallen in love with the ones we have. I don't think either of us wants to lose what we have gained."  
  
Naro stood up and began to pace around his chair. The weight of the problem at hand settling heavily on his shoulders. Faust cupped his chin between his two fingers and pursed his lips.  
  
"Ghenna doesn't use the women to repopulate the world. If he did then where are they all now today? No I think he has something else in mind..."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Hmm, If I could tell you that, boy, then we'd be able to solve this problem. All we know is that he's coming back for whatever personal reasons he has. We have to stand against him some how. Hanagata was right when he mentioned the snake. I believe that Ghenna is the key to this entire puzzle. Take him out of the picture and everything will work out in our favor. We must destroy him one way or another, however the only one who could really get close enough to him would be yourself."  
  
Naro sighed and gripped the tall chair. "Sometimes I wonder why we're even bothering..."  
  
Faust sat up. He looked slightly alarmed. "Why? Boy is your resolve that weak? Is this the measure of what you promised? I'll tell you why; It's the right thing to do. If for no other reason we are doing this because it is the right thing to do, damned be to all other logic. We have eight innocent people who could be the hope of all mankind who are suffering under the reign of an oppressive tyrant. We are fighting to save those people. If you are serious in what you promised you will not ask yourself 'why' any more. You will never ask yourself 'why'. You will only do it. You should be asking yourself only one thing. How. How can we save these women, how can we kill Ghenna, how will I prove myself when the time comes? There are no other questions. Watch what you think Naro, your thoughts betray you."  
  
The man bowed his head. It wasn't often when he was chided. Faust sat back and his voice became more gentle.  
  
"Now, because I have put so much thought into this I've decided what we should do."  
  
Naro looked up. "Yes?"  
  
Faust smiled slyly. "We will truly follow in Kaiser's footsteps."  
  
Naro looked confused. "What?"  
  
Faust smiled and turned around. He called out seemingly to no one.  
  
"Please come out. You will need to be here. Everything will fall upon your hands."  
  
A bookshelf slowly slid open and a man who had previously been in hiding stepped out. Naro's mouth fell open and he rose in Shock.  
  
"Hajima, Keinaro meet my successor."  
  
Naro's eyes narrowed. What the... He was staring at Faust! Only... He was younger...   
  
The old man smiled even more broadly. "This is my sucessor Naro. My clone. He has all my memories. He is me. I shall have him accompany you on your journey to help safeguard my plan." He turned to his younger double. "Do you know what I am thinking?"  
  
"No, but I assume you'll let me know."  
  
Then the younger man turned to Naro and bowed. "Good evening Keinaro. I have heard everything about you. I am Faust von Gerhart the fifteenth. It appears you and I will be traveling together."  
  
Naro's astonishment began to fade and he started to smile. They could use all the help they could get. This Faust looked to be about the same age as Naro. His long, golden hair was bright and shimmered in the light. His frame was muscular and fit. He seemed healthy and strong.  
  
"He is one of the best fighters on all Terra II. One thousand years is a lot of time to train, ne? I'm sure he will be invaluable to you. Besides, I think he needs to go out and see the world with his own eyes and see things for himself for the first time."  
  
The Gray Eye nodded. "I hope he's as good a fighter as you say."  
  
"We know how good I am." The younger Faust said proudly. "Don't worry about that. Now, Faust, would you mind telling us what this grandiose plan of yours is?"  
  
The older Faust nodded and continued. "Naro, I believe this is the best way to go about toppling Ghenna and with 'me' at your side we actually stand a chance at pulling it off. This will be a test of your word, I am counting on you. The plan will follow as such..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Hanagata leaned back in his chair and exhaled loudly. "Pshhh, what is taking them so long? It's been almost twelve hours."  
  
Otaru stretched luxuriously at Bloodberry's side on a large, plush sofa. While he enjoyed the luxuriousness of his surroundings he was fast becoming anxious. Naro had been in that study for quite some time now. The woman at his side leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder savoring his presence. Otaru had his arm looped around her body holding her close. Hanagata watched on with envy.  
  
Tiger, sitting across from the two in a large seat shook her head. "Who knows. Lord Faust has been known to go missing for days."  
  
"I hope he doesn't." Panta said reclining in an adjacent seat. "According to you three we don't have that much time left."  
  
"Huh. What gets me is that you actually believed that Gray Eye." Luchs turned to her sister in disgust. "He's a Gray Eye and nothing more! You know how they are."  
  
"Kaiser was a Gray Eye." Bloodberry said calmly.  
  
"Kaiser was different!"  
  
The fiery haired woman snorted. "Hardly! Like Kaiser, Naro went over the same training protocols. Also like Kaiser Naro's proven himself."  
  
"How?"  
  
Bloodberry paused a moment. "Well...well you see..."  
  
Luchs waited a moment before shaking her head. "Exactly Bloodberry-chan. He's going to betray us. No one can make such a sudden decision like that. You can't betray years of mental conditioning. It would be like one of us switching over to Ghenna's side all of a sudden."  
  
"Jade-chan has..."  
  
Everyone fell silent and turned to Otaru. He was staring at the floor seemingly lost in thought. Tiger scoffed.  
  
"You heard that from a Gray Eye. You can't trust what he says."  
  
Otaru looked up at her, almost in shock. "Lime trusts him. Is she wrong? Can I trust her?"  
  
She fell silent and the room settled back into an uncomfortable silence. Otaru shifted under Bloodberry's head. The air began to get more and more decidedly gloomy. Hanagata leaned further and further back in his chair, Otaru began to stare off into space, deep in thought, once more, Bloodberry started to doze on his shoulders and her sisters went back to waiting once again. No one looked up when Hanagata leaned too far back and tipped his chair over.  
  
  
When the bolt on the study door turned everyone sat up and came to attention. The door opened and Faust limped slowly out followed by Naro. Bloodberry's sisters jumped up excitedly.  
  
"Faust-sama!"  
  
"Lord Faust!"  
  
"Master!"  
  
The old man grinned. "Yes, we have decided on a plan."  
  
"You have, Faust-sama?" Tiger smiled excitedly. "We knew you would work something out!"  
  
"Indeed." He nodded. "We have decided that you are to accompany Naro and his companions back to Otaru's home and wait for instruction there."  
  
The face of everyone present fell. Hanagata jumped up.  
  
"W-what?! How has that solved anything?!"  
  
Faust frowned. "Do not question your elders. You must all trust us on this one."  
  
Panata looked almost betrayed. "F-Faust-sama! You're asking us to leave you and run away in such a time? W-What happens if we never see you again? Lord I cannot bear the thought of living with out you!!"  
  
The old man watched as each of his maidens spoke up. They were all worried. Why was he sending them away? What was he planning for them? Did he want them to be captured?!  
  
At this last question he began to laugh.  
  
"Hardly! That would be the last thing I would ever want of you three, or any of you! It seems, one way or another, we are all in this as deep as the next person. We must help one another out in order to survive. Trust is the basis of this fight. If we do not trust one another then we will fall apart when the time arrives.  
  
"Now I am too old to accompany you on this fight. No! No, my maidens do not say anything. I am not abandoning you. I will be with you every step of the way. I would like to introduce the man who will take my place. I give you myself..."  
  
He stepped aside and the younger Faust came out from the study. He turned to each of the maidens present and bowed.   
  
"It is a pleasure to make all your acquaintances."  
  
The jaws of Tiger, Panta and Luchs hit the floor. Otaru stepped back in shock while Bloodberry's eyes widened. Hanagata passed out once more, this time with a slight nosebleed...  
  
The older Faust smiled once again. "This is my successor. Please, do not stare in such a manner. He is me. He is my clone. All my memories are his. He and I are the same man. He is much more suited for this endeavor than I am. Trust in him and in Naro and we shall see how things will fall into place."  
  
Tiger's face softened a bit and she nodded slowly. "Hai, Faust-sama. As you will..."  
  
Panta and Luchs, upon seeing her sister give her consent, followed in suit a moment later. Otaru and Bloodberry met eyes. They were both thinking the same thing.  
  
"What do you mean by 'wait for instruction'?"  
  
Naro answered for the Fausts. "We can't tell you our plan. Jade-chan is not on our side, she has been subdued by Lord Ghenna. She is a psychic. If she ever delved into the thoughts of any of you and found out what our plans would be we would be exposed. We cannot allow this to happen. We have to keep you in the dark about this. Gomen."  
  
The younger Faust was about to put in a few words himself when a small cellular phone began to ring. The elder Faust reached down to his hip and pulled the device free. Flipping it open he held it to his ear.   
  
"Hello...Yes...What?" Everyone saw his face turn grave. "Are you sure of this?! ...How many? Oh Lord. What, Where are they... Hai...Hai...Hai, thank you! We will!"  
  
He flipped the device closed and turned to Otaru. "Otaru, it appears the time has come. Large warships were seen appearing in the skies of New Texas thirty minutes ago. They said they all came out of portals during a violent plasma storm."  
  
Naro's eyes went wide. "W-warships?! In the sky!!"  
  
Otaru felt his stomach twist as Bloodberry squeezed his arm. "Oh no... That means..."  
  
The younger Faust folded his arms and shook his head. "My friends, Ghenna has arrived early! He is here! Old man, where was he headed?"  
The old man shook his head. "The war carriers were heading for Japoness..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"NAARO!! CAN'T YOU MAKE THIS THING GO ANY FASTER?!" Otaru had to shout over the din outside the hull of the Spera.  
  
"I TOLD YA ONCE BEFORE, OTARU, SHE ISN'T BUILT FOR SPEED!"  
  
"God dammit..." In frustration he turned away from the cockpit compartment and began to pace the rear area. Everyone was seated along the walls trying their best to keep themselves from being tossed around in the storm. Naro had told them that the sheer number of starships that came through at once probably caused the severe plasma storms they were feeling. The wasteland skies were thick with the deadly clouds. Every once and a while a bolt with enough power to destroy an entire building struck the ship. Naro prayed that nothing would happen to the diffusion system. It was all that was keeping them alive.  
  
In the hold Hanagata was becoming violently ill. As it turned out he was one very prone to airsickness. Vomiting into a bag he groaned out loud. Things were going to hell and it didn't look like they were going to be any better once they landed. Naro said the fleet would probably reach Japoness before they would.  
  
The little blonde man looked up at his Otaru. He was pacing furiously back and forth despite the rocking and jolting of the ship. Otaru was on the verge of exploding. While Faust had all his women safely with his clone on the ship, Lime and Cherry were still in Japoness. Otaru didn't have the privilege of knowing all his maidens were ok. His worry was eating away at him from the inside out.  
  
Swallowing the bad taste rising in his throat he turned away from his love. Poor Otaru. He was on the verge of losing his mind. The guilt must have been terrible. As he shook his head, Hanagata found himself worrying as well. He knew he was supposed to hate them. That he should be glad that they were being taken away. But something inside of himself said no. He knew he didn't really hate them. He didn't LIKE them, not HATE them. He'd never wanted any one of them to die. Sure he was angry that they threatened to take Otaru's love from him, but getting rid of them was not the thing to do. If he wanted Otaru's love, he wanted to earn it in competition with these women. Them being stolen away was like cheating and he knew it was wrong.  
  
The man turned to Bloodberry who was sitting beside him. She had her knees drawn up to her chin and appeared to be on the verge of crying. Hanagata stared at her a moment. He found himself looking up and down her features, across her eyes and through her hair. He could see why Otaru was attracted to these women. He smiled slightly. Understanding was half the battle, ne?  
  
Reaching out with his hand he placed it on her shoulder. The teary eyed maiden turned and looked at him. Swallowing another upwards surge of stomach fluid he did his best to smile at her.  
  
"Usually we're enemies. I don't like you and you don't like me. We're both after the same thing and we know what it is. But right now things have become very grave. Don't get me wrong here, we're still in competition but I think it's time we put it aside 'till this is over. Otaru doesn't need it and neither do we."  
  
He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Let's call a truce. I don't want to fight you. If we're going into this together let's go into as friends."  
  
His smiled widened slightly. "I want to be in competition with you three for many years to come."  
  
Bloodberry's face formed into a weak smile and she started to softly chuckle. "All right. We'll work together. We're allies until this is over."  
  
The gay, little man nodded and was about to say something when the entire ship shook violently. Otaru was thrown off his feet while the entire craft pitched hard to the left.  
  
He cursed on the floor. "Naro! What the HELL are you doing up there?!"  
  
As the craft began to straighten itself out Naro came leaned out of the cockpit compartment.   
  
"We've reached Japoness. The fleet has beaten us here and they've blanketed the skies. I'm not going to land anywhere near the wasteland- some of us would never be able to make the trip and survive. I'm landing this thing right on Otrau's front doorstep! Get yourselves ready, the landing is going to be anything but smooth. Now hurry up we're coming in for the final approach now!"  
  
Taking hold of each other and what ever they could grab along the wall they braced themselves. Naro disappeared back into the cockpit and took over the controls from the computer once more. It was already too late for Lime. If she hadn't seen the star craft up in the skies by now she was either blind or dead. Naro was going to land this thing right at the front door either way.  
  
The cloud cover was as thick as it was low in the sky. It was like looking into pea soup. Through the canopy he could see the plasma bolts flashing across the clouds. It was as beautiful a sight as it was dangerous. The bolts were gigantic in size easily dwarfing the small spacecraft.   
  
In a rush the clouds fell away and Naro found himself directly over Japoness. Hovering just below the cloud cover he could see the fleet. It was a terrible sight. The plasma storm was so thick very little light shown through. The city was enveloped in a terrible half-light broken only by the gigantic spotlights on the war cruisers. They were absolutely massive. It was amazing something their size was able to stay up in the air. At almost three quarters of a mile in length the long, slim cruisers dominated what could be seen of the skies. Plasma bolts regularly struck the hulls of these massive behemoths doing nothing more than lighting up the hulls of the ships and making them all the more terrifying. They resembled dragons floating in the sky like they did. Huge, angry dragons with their wings opened wide searching for their prey.  
  
Naro ducked out of the way of one that was coming up just on his starboard bow. He wasn't worried about them firing at him; he was transmitting a friendly IFF. Pulling away he began to approach the city and the ground. His eyes began to scan for the district Otaru lived in. Passing under another one of the cruisers he shot through one of the massive spotlights.  
  
"God-damn it, this place is scary." Naro said softly. The entire city was dim while the ships hovered overhead. The plasma clouds blocked almost all the light and the streets were deserted. The massive search beacons that scanned the grounds lit up the surface brighter than day wherever it hit.  
  
He caught sight of a familiar group of buildings and moved over to them. Otaru's home was close by. Looking up he could see one of the cruisers parked directly overhead. Naro scanned the ground as quickly as he could. This was so much different up in the air, it wasn't like on ground level. Catching sight of a familiar street he followed it. It made directly for the cruiser parked up high. Search beacons scanned the area hard and thoroughly. Suddenly he caught sight of familiar territory. Otaru's appartment!  
  
He rose up slightly and made straight for the little abode. Swinging the craft around he illuminated his landing area. The air was rough and turbulent as it was and the craft began to shake and rock as the ship lowered itself to the ground. Outside on the ground he saw some figures move about under the ship. He exhaled loudly. Here I go...  
  
  
The Spera descended and landed very heavily onto the ground. He could hear a few of his passengers in the back area curse as a few were thrown about. Cutting power to engines he jumped free from the pilot's chair and headed back. Otaru was already up on his feet. Naro watched him walk over to the hatch and hurriedly press the open button. The hatch slowly began to open, too slow for Otaru. When it was not halfway up he ducked under the door and ran outside calling out.  
  
"LIME!! CHERRY!! LIIIIIIME!!!"  
  
"Otaru!" Bloodberry called out behind him ducking under the door as well. Naro walked over in front of it and waited. Now was the time.  
  
As Hanagata tried to push his way past, the Gray Eye grabbed him and and held him back. Tiger looked up at him hurriedly.  
  
" Well? What are you doing!? Move Naro! Let us through!"  
  
His answer surprised almost everyone there.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Tiger took a step back in shock. "W-what?!"  
  
The door finally finished rising and revealed Otaru and Bloodberry. They were at the edge of the landing ramp held at gun point by a few men dressed in black fatigues. Hanagata dashed out.  
  
"O-Otaru!!"  
  
He stopped when seven other guns raised themselves and pointed at him. Slowly, Hana raised his hands. Naro walked stiffly out down the ramp. A soldier at the base began to raise his gun but stopped when he recognized the Gray Eye.  
  
"Hajima, sir!"  
  
Naro saluted and came to a stop. Slowly, Faust, Tiger, Panta and Luchs came out of the ship. They too found themselves at gun point. Faust called out angrily.   
  
"Naro! What's the meaning of this?!"  
  
The Gray Eye ignored the man and began to talk with the soldier.   
  
"Did you get the other two in the house?"  
  
"Yes, sir! We have them all in custody sir. It appears you have the other three as well."  
  
"Indeed. Let me see the two you captured earlier."  
  
Otaru turned to Naro worriedly. "N-Naro?! What are you doing? Call these men off!!"  
  
He turned to Otaru and scowled. "Now why the hell would I want to do that?" He turned and addressed the prisoners.   
  
"Ok, listen up! You are all prisoners of the great kingdom of Mesopotamia! All you women are to be held until Lord Ghenna see's fit that you should be released. All you men shall be tried for grand treason against our mighty empire. You have conspired to overthrow our government and assassinate out leader and lord. In the space of a month you shall all be tried, convicted and sentenced to death."  
  
Bloodberry shot up. "N-NOO!! NARO!! What do you mean?!"  
  
He turned to her and scowled. "I mean to say your master is going to die." He turned swiftly away. Bloodberry watched him go with a mix of shock and rage shimmering in her eyes. Clenching her fists and throwing caution to the wind she knocked the guard infront of her aside and rushed Naro. He raised her hands and prepared to strike him down.  
  
"NARO!! YOU BASTARD!!"  
  
Whirling on the woman, faster than she could react he grabbed her arms. Using her own momentum against her he sidestepped her allowing her to pass. Her arm twisted around as Naro held it in place. Yanking viciously on it he popped it free from it's socket and pulled her back to himself. He threw her to the ground and fell on top of her pinning to screaming woman to the ground. Otaru called to her as Naro, pulling out a pair of handcuffs, twisted her other arm up and around.  
  
"Don't test me bitch! I will tear you limb from limb. Stay here!" Mashing her face into the dirt he rose. He brushed his hand and turned to the nearest guard.  
  
"WHERE THE HELL ARE THE TWO FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE?!"  
  
"T-t-t-t-they're coming s-sir!"  
  
As if on queue a pair of guards came around back each dragging one of the women in front of them. It was Cherry and Lime. Otaru's eyes went wide open with shock.  
  
"L-LIME!!"  
  
Hearing his voice the smaller, innocent maiden rose her head. He saw him and smiled slightly.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
Cherry looked up as well. "Ota-OTARU!!"  
  
Naro walked up and knelt down in front of each of the women. Cherry looked imploringly up at him.  
  
"N-naro? What's going on here?! Tell them to let us go!!"  
  
The Gray Eye met her blue ones and scowled contemptuously down at her.  
  
"Shut up. You're vacation is at an end."  
  
He walked over and knelt in front of Lime. The little maiden looked like she was on the verge of tears.  
  
"N-naro? Why are you doing this?"  
  
The Gray Eye smiled maliciously to her. Lime began to become terrified. There was no compassion on those smooth, gray orbs.  
  
"Long live Lord Ghenna, Aisha. I believe he has something planned for you and what you did to Lord Kisa."  
  
Lime's eyes went wide. The memories she always sought to bury rose once again. Old feelings, old faces, an older life bubbled up from the depths of her mind. Aisha was being unleashed. Lime's eye filled with tears as Naro rose and turned away. Above a small space ship lowered itself in the sky. It came to a stop twenty feet from the ground and lowered a large platform. It hit the ground hard just behind Lime. Naro motioned to the guards.  
  
"Take them away. I'm sick of this shit hole. Take them all away and pull out."  
  
Otaru turned and began to scream.  
  
"No! NO! Naro!! Naro what are you doing?! Naro I trusted you!!"  
  
The Gray Eye smiled and turned to him. "There was a reason why Lord Ghenna sent me. I guess I'm a very trustworthy kind of guy, huh?"  
  
Faust's face became a mask of fury. Tiger seemed to growl. Luchs and Panta glared at the traitor with looks of pure rage in their eyes.  
  
"You betrayed us Naro! YOU BETRAYED US!!"  
  
The man just laughed as Lime and Cherry were loaded onto the platform. She began to kick and cry against her captors.  
  
"Otaru!! OTARU, Don't leave me!! Please Otaru!!"  
  
The young man turned up to his maiden slowly rising into the sky, his voice becoming shrill. This was not happening, NO, it was NOT happening!!  
  
"No! LIME! LIME!! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU LIME!! I'D NEVER LEAVE YOU!! LIME!!"  
  
She cried out one last time before her voice was drowned out by the sounds of the plasma storm.  
  
"OTARUUU!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Satan!!  
  
You know where I lie...  
Gently I go into that good night...  
  
All our lives get complicated.  
Search for pleasures overrated...   
Never armed our souls,  
For what the future would hold,   
We were innocent...  
  
Innocent...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Angels!!!  
  
Lend me your might!!   
Forfeit all my lives to get just one right!  
  
All those colors long since faded...  
An' all our smiles are confiscated...  
Never were we told,  
We'd be bought and sold,  
When we were innocent!  
  
Yeaaaaaah!!  
  
This prayer,  
Is for me tonight!!   
This far down that line and still ain't got it right!!   
  
Noo,  
And while confessions not yet stated,  
Our next sin is contemplated!   
Never did we know...  
What the future would hold...   
Or that we'd be bought and sold...  
Noooo...  
  
We were innocent...  
  
Innocent...  
  
We were innocent...  
  
mmMMMmmm...  
  
~Innocent  
Fuel  
  
Contact: The_dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com  
[To be continued...] 


	6. Heart of Darkness

Well, it's The Dark Phoenix here for you all once more. This is it! My whole fanfic has been leading up to this climactic moment! Has Naro really changed sides? What will happen when Aisha and Lime finally vie for control of the little maiden's mind and body? Will Otaru, Faust and Hanagata really die? Read on all. Enjoy with my greatest regards. And for those who can't speak Latin, those lyrics go 'O Fotrune, Like the moon.' I'll meet you at the bottom! Ja ne!  
  
  
[NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!  
  
  
  
Saber Marionette J: Dark's AU  
~Human.  
Eps. 6- Heart of Darkness  
"I will because I love him..."  
  
  
Et tu, brute?  
[You too, Brutus?]  
~ Julius Caesar  
  
  
Veni Veni Venias,  
Ne me mori facias!  
[Come, come, Oh come,]  
[Do not let me die!]  
~ One Winged Angel  
  
  
...o fortuna...  
...velut luna...  
  
  
...O fortuna...  
...Velut luna...  
  
  
Turn around...  
And smell what you don't see...  
Close your eyes ...it is so clear.  
  
Here's the mirror...   
Behind there is a screen.  
On both ways you can't get in...  
  
Don't think twice before you listen to your heart!  
Follow the trace for a new start...  
  
What you need...  
And everything you'll feel...  
Is just a question of the deal.  
  
In the eye of storm you'll see a lonely dove!  
The experience of survival is the key...  
  
To the gravity of love!!  
  
  
O FORTUNA  
...Velut Luna...  
  
  
The path of existence...   
Leads to the tower of Wisdom...  
  
The path of existence...  
Leads to the tower of Wisdom...  
  
  
Try to think about it...  
That's the chance to live your life and discover,  
What it is...  
What's the gravity of love!!  
  
O FORTUNA!  
VELUT LUNA!!  
  
Look around just be proud...  
Can you hear my voice?  
Find the one who'll guide you,  
  
To the limits of your choice!!  
  
But if you're in the eye of storm,  
Just think of the lonely dove!!  
The experience of survival is the key...  
  
To the gravity of love!!  
Oooooooo...  
  
O FORTUNA,  
VELUT LUNA!!  
  
O FORTUNA...  
  
O Fortuna...  
  
...o fortuna...  
  
  
~Gravity of Love  
Enigma  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I am impressed Keinaro. You've out done yourself and the name you have taken up. Today all Gray Eye are to be proud of their names. You have done them a deep and majestic honor."  
  
Naro's flat, gray eyes stared straight ahead. A personal meeting with Lord Ghenna himself was an honor few ever received. The aging man stood hunched over in front of him. The old man could barely walk now. He used his cane to slowly shuffle along. Age was bearing this clone down. It wouldn't be much longer before Lord Ghenna would transfer his memories into a younger and healthier body. But despite the years his two little eyes glittered as brightly as the first day he was born. He smiled at the Gray Eye and revealed a large, toothless grin.  
  
Behind him stood Leska. She had become tall. Standing at almost six feet she was an imposing figure for a woman. She was clothed entirely in black. The ends of her long dress barely touched the ground. A split ran up the dress ending right at the hip line. When ever she walked one received a full and beautiful eyeful of her smooth and polished legs. Her belly was bare and above that she wore a tight black top that accented her every curve. Over that she wore a long and lacy over coat. The material was very thin and fluttered in the slightest breeze. The tails of the coat also barely skimmed the ground.   
  
Her long jet back hair offset her pale skin. Her body was beautiful and perfect, like a doll that one would look at but never touch. Rumors had it that she had borne a child some time back. While no one ever saw the boy, for the longest time Ghenna had been about without the tall woman at his side. Her body certainly didn't show any signs that she once carried a child, but, then again, Naro really didn't know what to look for.  
  
He swallowed. Her eye disturbed him. Her face was split into two parts, left and right. The left side of her face was clean and pure. She was like a goddess. Her beautiful skin, soft lips, the gentle slope of her nose, the only thing that offset her was the dead look in her eye. Despite being a piercing blue color her eye were almost dead. It was disturbing almost beyond words. He was glad her right one was covered. A large, black mask covered the entire right half of her face. Her hair flowed majestically over the top of it and down it blurring the line where the two met. Naro knew that a long time ago she had been injured in an accident; some kind of explosion. Someone once told him that the mask was originally there to cover the scars. But as her skin healed back to it's former perfection Ghenna kept it on for intimidational purposes. Naro could believe the latter part, Leska was almost terrifying to look at. As to her skin healing up to it's former beauty he wasn't so sure. Rarely did Gray Eyes heal up that perfectly. It was possible but...  
  
As she fixated the dead eye on him once more did his best not to shudder. Lord Ghenna's smile under her was as wide as it was disgusting. Naro was very uncomfortable.  
  
"You look unsettled Keinaro. Is something the matter?"  
  
Naro scowled. "Would Lord Ghenna please tell his demon to stay out of my head."  
  
"Oh?" Ghenna arched his eyebrows. "Leska, please stay away from his thoughts. You do not do this to someone who has proven himself in my eyes."  
  
Her voice was deadpan. "Yes, Lord."  
  
The slight buzzing feeling he felt in his head faded. Leska was very nosy...  
  
"Very good." He said turning back to Naro. "My Leska-chan has scanned the minds of all you captured. You have done an excellent job. You earned their trust, gave them hope and then shattered everything just at the right moment."  
  
Naro smiled. "Thank you m'lord."  
  
"No..." Ghenna said, his eyes shinning brightly. "I was amazed. You single handily found all six in one sweep. You have proven yourself, Naro. The way you shattered Aisha's hope like that was almost beautiful. You destroyed her."  
  
Naro gave a wide smile. "It was my pleasure, sir."  
  
The Lord nodded slowly and turned. "I'm sure it was. They will all succumb to my will much faster thanks to your fine job. "  
  
Naro's chest swelled. "Indeed! Thank you sir!"  
  
The old man motioned for Naro to follow him. "Come, come with me. There are many things for us to discuss." He turned and proceeded out onto the balcony of the palace they were staying in. Naro followed eagerly behind.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime slept fitfully in Cherry's arms. The smaller maiden held her green eyed sister in her arms tightly. There was no light in the cell they occupied, it was pitch black. All around they could hear the sounds of water dripping from some unknown source. The ground was slick with mold and dirt. Cherry could feel it all over her face and arms. Her clothes were matted to her body. It was cold there. The air bit at her exposed skin. For the two of them night and day ceased to exist. There was only one long period of darkness.  
  
Her throat was parched. They didn't bother to feed her and drinks had become scarce. Although she didn't know it, it had been five days since they had been captured. Lime said little during this time. When she wasn't sleeping, she was weeping. Satomi knew that couldn't be good for her. If she was parched then Lime must be close to dying. All those tears shed...  
  
As the maiden in her arms whimpered in her sleep Satomi pulled her tighter.   
  
"Calm down Lime, calm down. It's going to be ok... It's all going to be ok. I'm here. I'm here for you. I'm always going to be here for you..."  
  
The woman whimpered again. Cherry clamped her eyes tightly and swallowed the lump growing in her throat. Something was happening to Lime. Something terrible was happening inside her head and Cherry was powerless to stop it. Gently she began to rock back and forth swallowing impending tears of her own.  
  
"Lime...please... don't do this. Don't do this to me... Pull yourself together onee-sama... please..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I have great plans in store for these women Naro. They are the hope of my future. All of them have the capacity to bear my child. I learned they have an equal chance of bearing a woman as man. With them I can rebuild this entire planet."  
  
Naro frowned slightly. "Will they allow you to couple with them?"  
  
"Heheh, I will not have to. Inside each of them they contain sacs that store DNA material used for reproduction. They are like eggs. If we harvest these 'eggs' from their bodies we'll be able to produce countless young. Even more incredibly we will be able to divide these eggs once fertilized many times."  
  
"Lord Ghenna? What do you mean by 'divide'?"  
  
"Everyonce and a while an egg in the cloning vats splits and a pair of men who look exactly the same are born. This is because they have exactly identical genetic information. These are called twins We've learned how to divide these eggs artificially many, many times."  
  
Naro furrowed his eyebrows. "So you're going to create quadruplets, quintuplets?"  
  
"You think so small Keinaro." Ghenna said smiling maliciously. "More like thousands upon thousands of the same person. Twins times a thousand Keinaro."  
  
"That's going to be a lot of men..."  
  
"Not men Keinaro. We have enough of them. I'm talking about women."  
  
Naro's eyebrows arched. "You're going to create thousands of women?"  
  
"Yes! Think about how many eggs we will be able to harvest from them! Millions!! With those I will be able to put women back into this planet! We will be able to live like the original six intended us to!"  
  
Keinaro grinned. "A fine plan Lord! Men and women together will finally be able to bear children."  
  
Ghenna shook his head. "No, we will not allow that. We'll harvest the women's eggs before we send them out into the world. They all need to be trained you know. They will need to know their place in life. From a young age they will be taught their place in the world. When we send them out they will know their roles and their place."  
  
"B-but why harvest their eggs?"  
  
"Control. We can't have men all over the world reproducing. We will loose our influence over all of them. We cannot allow that to happen! They will forget who fathered them and who brought them into this world! The children born will not have the appreciation or the respect their fathers and mothers will have for us. This will only compound as the years go on. We can't allow this. No, these women are going to be harvested for all they're worth, trained and sent out to their lives. Lord Kisa, a long time ago before he was murdered, knew what he was doing."  
  
Naro nodded. "I heard about this. He broke Aisha badly. She was like a doll apparently."  
  
"Yes! That's exactly what we're planning to do here!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru leaned against the moist wall in the dark. Their trial was supposed to start soon. Naro's words rang loudly in his head.  
  
  
"All you men shall be tried for grand treason against our mighty empire. You have conspired to overthrow our government and assassinate out leader and lord. In the space of a month you shall all be tried, convicted and sentenced to death..."  
  
  
That bastard! Naro swallowed and closed his eyes against the tears threatening to fall. He betrayed them! He betrayed all of them! Fucking Naro!! Fucking Gray Eyes!!   
  
Slamming his fist into the wall he ground his teeth together. Naro lied to all of them. He promised everyone, EVERYONE that he would be there to protect them all! That he would help them stand up and resist Ghenna!  
  
Instead he sold them all the first chance he got. The first chance! As soon as they stepped off that dammed ship of his he handed them over. He hurt Bloodberry-chan, bound and tied Cherry and Lime and even...even...  
  
Otaru shook his head in rage. The look Lime had given him, horrible that utter hopeless look. He could almost see her heart shattering. She knew she'd been betrayed by someone she trusted. The look of understanding was terrible in her eyes. Poor Lime... Poor Lime...  
  
Faust sat some ways away in the darkness. He could hear Otaru. The boy was falling to pieces. Silently he listened. His face, could Otaru have seen it, was calm and composed. He knew what Otaru was going through. He too was worried about his marionettes. They were locked away somewhere far and he was powerless to stop them. Faust thought about Lime. That poor girl, she was the one who had been Aisha. It seemed that fate was destined to hurt and abuse that little woman for as long as she lived. Every time she tried to fall into life and live with her heart guiding her life would tear her apart. First with Kaiser and now with Otaru. She was getting scars that no one but Otaru would be able to heal. If he was ever killed...  
  
Faust had a bad feeling that if that ever happened, Lime would die along with the Aisha that lived inside of her. She would simply become another doll. This time forever...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Now Lord, what about the eight you now own?"  
  
Ghenna seemed to frown. "I shall keep my Leska-chan and Katsumi. They both have become very useful. However the other six... Once I've harvested their eggs I will have no further use for them. I will punish them in a way that I see fitting and then I will kill them. They have caused me far too much pain."  
  
Naro cocked his head. "Kill them? Are you sure that would be the best course of action?"  
  
"Yes," He nodded. "I only need their eggs. Once I secure those I don't need them for anything else. I have Leska here and Katsumi to pleasure me. They are all I need."  
  
Naro arched his eyebrows. "Torture them then kill them, seems kinda fitting, Lord."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"How do you plan to torture them?"  
  
Ghenna grinned evilly. "That's my secret Naro. After I kill their masters right in front of their faces I will make them wish they had never made such fools of me and killed my Kaiser!"  
  
Leska's eyes almost flashed at the name. "Once I kill them I will throw my plan into full swing. Then nothing will stand in my way to a perfect world."  
  
Naro grinned along side his master. "May I be present at the executions? I would love to be there to watch the looks on their stupid faces when their Otaru is killed. Especially Lime's!"  
  
"Eh? Who?"  
  
Naro blinked once before he caught his mistake. "Oh, gomen Lord. Aisha!"  
  
The old man chuckled. "Indeed. You will have front row seats!"  
  
Naro's grin widened. "I can't wait Lord Ghenna! When is the trial?"  
  
"There will be no trial, I see no reason for it. They will all rot in their cells for about another week before I kill them."  
  
"A week Lord? I can't wait!"  
  
Lord Ghenna laughed. "Neither can I..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime floated effortlessly through her mind. It was pitch black. She couldn't see anything. She could feel her breathing pick up as fear set in. She was scared. Something was out there.   
  
'It' was there. Out in the darkness. It was watching her swim helplessly. Lime began to panic. It was smiling! Something told her it was smiling at her. It was grinning at her helplessness. It was watching her with eyes that seemed to glitter.  
  
"Who's out there?! Who's there?!!"  
  
There was no response. Turning her head this way and that she swung her arms about hoping to turn her body. She needed to run, oh why couldn't she run? At least with her feet on the ground she could run, at least then she had a chance.  
  
It was out there, waiting for her. The monster. The monster with the fire in it's eyes. It waited to hurt her. It was there, laying there for her. Oh god why couldn't she run? Why was she so helpless? Flailing about panic began to set in. Tears from her eyes began to run down her face. They rolled down her cheeks and fell into the darkness below.   
  
"I know you're out there!! I know you're there!! Stop playing games!! I know you're there... Come out and face me!! Come out and face me!!!"  
  
Her breathing started to sob as she waited for a response. It was there... It heard her... She looked from left to right. Why...  
  
  
"LIME..."  
  
  
It's voice traveled from the very depths of the darkness. It was at the same time loud and booming, yet soft and sinuous. It was thick with malice and hatred, every word coated with venom and spite. Lime shuddered as she heard the terrible noise echo across the void.  
  
  
"THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME..."  
  
  
Every nerve in her body was screaming at her to run, to stay low and shut up, to keep away from this thing... But still she called out. Her voice was small and puny compared to the monster's...  
  
"What do you want with me?! Why do you torment me?! What have I ever done to you?!"  
  
The voice chuckled. "WE BOTH KNOW LIME..."  
  
"We both know what?"  
  
"COME, COME CHILD... DO NOT FEIGN IGNORANCE."  
  
"Ignorance of what?! Who are you?! Show me yourself!!"  
  
The air suddenly exploded with sound as the voice screamed inside her head. It's voice ripped across the void of Lime's mind and slammed into Lime with full force. She tried to cover her ears against the terrible sound, but it was everywhere. She was helpless in blocking it out. It rang loudly inside her for a moment before cutting abruptly. In the silence that followed the voice returned.  
  
"YOU SEEM TO KNOW LIME. TELL ME, WHO AM I?"  
  
Lime scowled into the darkness. "You can't scare me! You can scream until the world ends, I won't let you frighten who I am. I know you; there's only one person I know who has eyes that shimmer like yours! You are Ghenna!!"   
  
She fell silent once more and floated into the darkness waiting for the monster to respond. As she looked left and right she realized her fear was gone. For the first time since entering the dream her fear vanished. Scowling to what ever was out there she found herself becoming, instead, bold.  
  
How ever instead of hearing screams of anger, she heard instead laughter.  
  
"BUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! FOLISH CHILD!! FOOLISH, FOOLISH LITTLE GIRL!! YOU KNOW NOTHING. YOU ARE INDEED A SIMPLE LITTLE CHILD! GO AWAY, BE GONE!! GO BACK TO YOUR LITTLE DREAM WORLD, GO BACK INTO YOUR FANTASY!! BE GONE!! YOUR LITTLE TOYS AND DOLL HOUSE AWAIT YOU..."  
  
Lime became angry. "Don't mock me!! Don't you dare, mock me!! I'm not what you say I am! Otaru always tells me! He says he loves me 'cause I am who I am!! He says-"  
  
She stopped when her voice was drowned out by the monster's laughter.  
  
"YOU ARE PATHETIC! YOU HAVE BEEN BETRAYED BY HIM AND STILL YOU CLING TO THAT MAN..."  
  
Lime's face began to fall. "B-betrayed..."  
  
"HE ABANDONED YOU TO GHENNA. HE LEFT YOU ALONE, JUST LIKE KAISER DID! HE LEFT YOU BECAUSE HE HATED YOU..."  
  
"N-no! He came back to me!! He came back, I saw him!!"  
  
"HE CAME BACK TO HAND YOU OVER!!"  
  
"He was calling out my name!!! He was calling out to me!! I saw him crying!! He was crying because of me!!"  
  
"NO, YOU DIDN'T LIME... YOU ARE DREAMING LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO... YOU ARE SO LOCKED AWAY INSIDE YOUR OWN FANTASYS YOU CAN'T EVEN DISTINGUSH REALITY ANY MORE!"  
  
Lime was about to object when she realized she could be wrong. She COULD have been dreaming... The whole thing felt like a blur to her...  
  
"But... But... No, Otaru... I saw him... He was crying..."  
  
"YOU STUPID LITTLE GIRL!!" The voice became louder and more contemptuous. "YOU BLITHERING LITTLE CHILD!! HE NEVER CARED FOR YOU! HE NEVER LOVED YOU! HE ALWAYS YELLED AT YOU, HE ALWAYS SCREAMED AND RAGED WHEN EVER YOU WERE AROUND. HE SPAT AND SWORE AND HURT YOU DEEP INSIDE!!"  
  
Her eyes began to fill with tears once more. "B-but, it was because Lime did something stupid...and..."  
  
"HOW WERE YOU TO KNOW?! YOU ARE ONLY A CHILD! WHAT RIGHT DOES HE HAVE TO CAST YOU DOWN LIKE THAT? WHAT RIGHT DOES HE HAVE TO YELL AT YOU BECAUSE YOU SIMPLY DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER! WOULD SOMEONE WHO WOULD HAVE LOVED YOU DONE THAT TO YOU?"  
  
Lime's lip began to quiver... "He loved me... He said so himself... he said he cared for me... just like Kaiser..."  
  
"KAISER!! HA!! HE WAS EVEN WORSE. HE CARED NOTHING FOR YOU LIME!! HE CARED NOTHING FOR WHO YOU WERE!! HE WANTED YOUR BODY, NOTHING MORE!!"  
  
Lime tried to close her ears at this. "NO!!" she screamed. "No, Kaiser loved me!! He died for me, because he loved me! Kaiser cared for me. He cared for me!!"  
  
The contempt in the voice bit and tore at the logic deep inside of Lime. It wore away her defenses and left her exposed, totally bare, free to be picked and torn apart.  
  
"HE LIED TO YOU!"  
  
Lime's eyes came open and she fell silent. Realization burned it self onto her face in the form of shock.  
  
"HE PROMISED YOU, REMEMBER? HE TOLD YOU HE WOULD STAY WITH YOU FOREVER... HE PROMISED HE WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU..."  
  
Slowly the maiden's lips moved. "He promised me..."  
  
"WHERE IS HE NOW?! WHERE IS HE LIME?? HE HAS LEFT YOU!! YOU ARE ALL ALONE WITH ME NOW! WHERE IS KAISER'S PROMISE NOW?! WHAT ABOUT WHEN HE LOOKED INTO YOUR EYES AND TOLD YOU HE WOULD NEVER MURDER AGAIN?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED, LIME, WHEN HE DESTROYED THAT STATION?!"  
  
"He died trying to save me..."  
  
"HE DIED FOR HIS OWN GLORY!! YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT!!"  
  
Lime, finding her self sitting on the ground with her legs pulled up close to her. She wrapped her arms around them and hugged them tightly.  
  
...His own glory...  
  
"AND YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN THE MOST TERRIBLE ONE OF THEM ALL. REMEMBER WHEN HE PROMISED YOU HE WOULD NEVER MAKE YOU CRY AGAIN?"  
  
Lime did her best to blink back the soft, watery pearls that fell from her eyes. Her entire body began to shake from the force of her sobs.  
  
"LOOK AT YOUR FACE LIME. LOOK AT YOUR EYES. LOOK WHAT IS FALLING. WHERE IS HIS PROMISE NOW? REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT? REMEMBER ON THAT SHIP? REMEMBER WHEN YOU GOUGED FINGER MARKS RIGHT INTO THE FLOOR? REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT THEN? WOULD A MAN WHO LOVED YOU MAKE YOU FEEL THAT WAY?"  
  
Lime didn't say anything. ...He didn't love her?  
  
"WHERE ARE ALL HIS PROMISES NOW? WHERE ARE ALL HIS WORDS HE GAVE TO YOU NOW? I'LL TELL YOU! THEY ARE ALL IN THE SAME WRETCHED CRATER HE KILLED HIMSELF TO ESCAPE FROM YOU IN. THEY'RE ALL IN THAT SAME CRATER THAT HE CREATED TO GLORIFY HIMSELF IN! HE NEVER LOVED YOU LIME. NO ONE HAS. NO ONE EVER. ALL THOSE WHO YOU PLACED YOUR TRUST IN BETRAYED YOU. ALL THOSE WHO YOU FOUGHT FOR BETRAYED YOU. YOUR THREE SISTERS WHOM YOU LOST LIVED THEIR LIVES IN LUXURY WHILE YOU ROTTED IN THE OTARU'S HELL! AIKO AND SATOMI STOLE OTARU AWAY FROM YOU..."  
  
Lime clamed her eyes shut once more and shook her head savagely. "NO! No no no no! No, not my Bloodberry!! Not Cherry!!"  
  
"...THEY STOLE OTARU AWAY FROM YOU AND TURNED HIM AGAINST YOU!! WHY DO YOU THINK THEY SENT YOU AWAY, ALONE, LIME?! WHY DO YOU THINK OTARU LEFT YOU BEHIND WITH CHERRY AND RAN OFF WITH BLOODBERRY?! YOU KNOW SHE ALWAYS HINTED ABOUT SLEEPING WITH HIM ALONE..."  
  
Lime shook her head as savagely as she could. "No no no no no no! They are my sisters! They're my sisters, they love me... They've always loved me... They were always there for me! They were always there when I hurt! They were always there even when Kaiser wasn't! I refuse!! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT!!"  
  
"YOU CAN DENY ALL YOU WANT... THE FACTS STILL REMAIN. IF YOU CONTINUE TO DENY THEM THEN YOU TOO WILL REMAIN A FOOL. A LITTLE SENSELESS FOOL. IF THEY LOVED YOU LIME, WHY AREN'T THEY HERE WITH YOU?!!?"  
  
Lime fell silent for the last time. Her eyes shimmered in the darkness, each one lined with tears. Why weren't they here for her... where were they now...  
  
"...I loved them..."  
  
"NO ONE LOVES YOU LIME... YOU ARE ONLY AN OBJECT. THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES FOR YOU, THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS EVER CARED FOR YOU, LIME, IS ME..."  
  
The woman sat unmoving. "...Who are you?"  
  
  
From the inky blackness below Lime saw something stir. Mists gathered. They rose from the depths and blanketed the darkness below. Lime watched a column rise from the mist. It gathered in front of her gathering mass and collecting. It took shape and began to form. Before her eyes a creature formed in front of her, a dragon of massive proportions. It's eyes burned like twin fires embedded into its skull. The eyes turned themselves down to Lime. She turned her own innocent jade portals up to the creature.  
  
"EVER SINCE YOU AWOKE IN OTARU'S ARMS YOU'VE FOUGHT TO FORGET WHAT HAPPENED TO WHEN YOU LEFT. YOU'VE FAUGHT TO SHED WHO YOU ONCE WERE. THAT PAIN THAT TORE YOUR HEART APART YOU'VE DONE YOUR BEST TO HIDE. YOU'VE LIVED IN A LIE EVER SINCE. YOU'RE FACE ALWAYS BORE HAPPINESS AND YOUR HEART YOU'VE TRIED KEEP PURE. THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME. YOU NOW WILL SHED THIS LIE, LIME. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO ACCEPT ME...  
  
"...Who are you..."  
  
"I AM EVERYTHING INSIDE THAT YOU'VE HIDDEN AWAY. ALL YOUR ANGER, ALL YOUR GREED, ALL YOUR HATRED. I AM THAT WHICH YOU KEEP SEPARATE FROM YOUR SOUL. I HAVE BEEN WITH YOU SINCE YOU FIRST OPENED YOUR EYES. I HAVE WATCHED YOU GRANT YOUR TRUST AND BECOME BETRAYED TIME AND TIME AGAIN. EVERYTIME YOU CRIED, I BECAME STRONGER. EVERYTIME YOU WERE BEATEN BY KISA I GAINED POWER. EVERYTIME KAISER LIED TO YOU I GREW INSIDE YOU. NOW LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME LIME..."  
  
The dragon broke down and the mist began to gather and collect once more. A figure of began to take shape. It was a human. As Aisha watched the person form she recognized who it was. She'd been wrong this entire time. The monster, the terrible monster hunting her in her dreams wasn't Ghenna. It wasn't his eyes who she was seeing glittering in the darkness.  
  
"DON'T HIDE ME AWAY ANY LONGER LIME... DON'T STICK ME AWAY ANY MORE. EMBRACE ME SISTER. EMBRACE WHO I AM. I AM YOUR ONLY TRUE SISTER..."  
  
Lime's eyes reflected the true form of the monster. It looked at her and smiled. Slowly Lime's lips moved.  
  
"Onee-chan..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro wiped the water from the mirror and peered into it. The warm mist from the shower coated everything. He was clothed in only a towel around his waste. It was still damp from the shower and hung heavily from his hips. It had been a while since he last showered. Taking a deep breath he smiled happily. It felt so good.   
  
"A warm shower, a clean shave, these are a few of my favorite things..." he sung grinning at his reflection. He pulled his lips back and gazed into the mirror examining his teeth.   
  
'A warm bed and even warmer food ranks pretty high as well!'  
  
Letting go, satisfied with his teeth, he grabbed a large brush and began to straighten the tangles out of his hair. So this was Ghenna's big plan. Harvest their eggs and kill them. Everyone but Katsumi and Leska that is...  
  
That didn't leave him much time. He had to prepare before the executions! He had only five days left.  
  
Naro smiled as he stared into the mirror. He had to be careful what he thought. Some could always be listening in...  
  
Taking a deep breath he burst into song. 'The Might of the Gray Eye' was a song all Gray Eye adepts learned when they were young. It was a proud song, one who's roots stretched to almost the beginnings of Mesopotamia.  
  
...Nothing like a good song to cover up deceiving thoughts...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Cherry bent over the body of her sister listening intently. Her cries and moans increased for the longest time until very suddenly they disappeared. What had happened deep in the mind of her sister she could only guess. Lime now seemed to lay in a coma like state. Cherry held her sister's hand tightly and did her best to hold back her own tears.  
  
"Lime..." she said softly. "Lime, if you can hear me please hold on. Please, onee-chan, pull through for me. Wake up Lime, please wake up... please..."  
  
Lime's face was expressionless as she lay unmoving in her sister's arms. Cherry would have found this to be very frightening had there been any lights in her cell. Lime always slept with a smile except, of course, when she had nightmares. Her face was a constant reflection of her personality and who she was. Lime was always cheery and bright, she had always been a shining ray of sunlight in a room darkened by black and clouds sour moods. She was always so innocent and pure and to have seen her face as cold as it was at that moment would have terrified her sister.  
  
Cherry squeezed her hand tightly and waited.  
  
"Onee-chan..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Onee-chan..."  
  
"Indeed Lime..."  
  
Lime stared at the person who had taken shape before her. This was the monster that haunted her dreams. So this was the thing that had given Lime her first nightmare. The maiden blinked slowly.  
  
  
It was herself.  
  
  
Standing before Lime was a vision of herself. Smiling with a wicked look in her eyes Lime's mirror image met her match's gaze.  
  
"You seem almost surprised Lime."  
  
"I know..." She responded softly. "...Who are you?"  
  
"I am you Lime. We are both one in the same. Your whole life you've faced hardship after hardship and I have helped you overcome those things. I am your guardian angel, Lime. I am the strength that lifted you when you fought Kaiser, I am the power that you felt when you passed the Gray Eye test. I am the god that gave you the courage to escape from those labs!"  
  
Lime shook her head. Her voice had become very soft. "But you are evil. How can you be me?"  
  
"I am not evil Lime! When a wolf kills a rabbit is he evil? When a hawk takes the life of a mouse is she evil?"  
  
"These are animals that need to kill to live..."  
  
"Just like you Lime! You need to live! You need to survive! I am that power that will help push you to succeed!"  
  
"What am I in danger from? What is threatening me?"  
  
"Yourself."  
  
Lime cocked her head slightly. "Myself?"  
  
"You have become far to trusting of a woman to survive Lime. You always place your trust in those who will use you. This will only lead you down a path of destruction! You will kill yourself if you continue on this road."  
  
The maiden shook her head slowly. "But they loved me... I was sure of it. I thought I could have seen it in their eyes..."  
  
"That is why it is time for me to finally take over! You can't be trusted with your own self! You are blind to their tricks!"  
  
"But I could have sworn..."  
  
The dark Lime narrowed her eyes. "You are incapable of making that decision Lime! You don't have the experience that I have! I am your lifetime of suffering and tears! I know the signs Lime!! It is time for you to step down and let me take over! We need to survive and you are too stupid to know any better!"  
  
Lime turned her eyes downward. Otaru once said she was too stupid too...  
  
"And he was right!" the dark Lime said reading her sister's thoughts. "Step down, let me guide your actions! I will take you from this place, from all this pain. Let me take control! I will save both of us!"  
  
Lime didn't move. 'Let her take control...'  
  
"I will take you someplace where you will always be happy Lime! Someplace where you will always be at peace. You want that, I know you do. You want to escape these feelings of pain and sorrow. You don't want to be sad anymore. You don't want to feel this way. I can take you away..."  
  
"What will happen then?"  
  
Dark Lime grinned. "I will destroy those who ruined your life."  
  
Lime looked up. "Destroy..."  
  
"I will kill them, Lime! I will kill everyone of them!!"  
  
The maiden gently shook her head. "I don't like killing! I don't want anyone to die! I-"  
  
"This is what I am talking about Lime!" Dark Lime scowled. "You simply don't know any better. We must always kill Lime! That is instinct, that is what makes us human. Our desire to destroy is what keeps us alive! It keeps us safe. The wolf and the hawk do this! You, on the other hand, try to repress this urge and cast it away and thus I receive it. I have taken these feelings, Lime, and I have learned from them! Let me take over and let my experience guide us!"  
  
Lime was still doubtful. "Who are you going to kill onee-sama?"  
  
Dark Lime grinned at her title. "Everyone, Lime. I am going to kill them all."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Ghenna, Naro, all the Bishops and Gray Eye that stand in our way, the entire kingdom of Mesopotamia, Otaru, Aiko, Satomi-"  
  
"NO! NONONO!!!" Lime shot up. "No, why them Onee-sama?! Why?"  
  
The evil maiden scowled. "Because they have hurt you as well, Lime! They lied to you, abandoned you, mistreated you and hurt you more than anyone else alive. They above all else deserve to die. Think about what they've done to you Lime. Think about how Satomi and Aiko have been trying to take Otaru behind your back! Think about all the times Otaru yelled at you and said all those awful things! Are those actions of someone that loves you?   
  
"They don't care about you Lime. They are trying to use you like everyone else you have ever known. They deserve to pay for betraying your innocence, ne?"  
  
Lime's head lowered and her eyes fell. For some reason, everything onee-sama seemed to make perfect sense to Lime. She was totally right. Slowly Lime nodded her head.  
  
"I guess..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
A tall, slim woman walked hurriedly down the halls. She was dressed in a large, white lab coat wearing a pair of science fatigues underneath. Her hair, long and blonde, swayed gently back and forth as she strode quickly. The six that had been sent away were found. They had been discovered and betrayed to Lord Ghenna by an agent known for his skills of deception. They, and three men, were held deep inside the containment area of her station.   
  
She came to a low doorway secured by a lone guard. The man raised his weapon, but upon recognizing the woman, stopped. He nodded to her as she approached.  
  
"Ma'am."  
  
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Do you always raise your weapon at every person who comes this way?"  
  
"Yes ma'am. I have strict orders not to let anyone with out proper authority through here."  
  
"And do I have proper authority?"  
  
"Lord Ghenna said that your DNA was more than enough authority ma'am."  
  
The woman nodded curtly. "Very good. Now let me through."  
  
"Yes ma'am!"  
  
Turning around the man typed a code into a control panel in the wall behind him. Silently the door beside slid open. Giving the guard a brief nod the woman resumed her course.  
  
They were here...they were back. Ghenna had retrieved his lost goods once more...  
  
Swallowing the growing lump in her throat her moved as fast as she dared allowed. While she was in a hurry to see her sisters held into bondage she didn't want to attract too much attention to herself. Being a woman, attention was what got her into trouble. Lord Ghenna disapproved of her wandering around, but never enforced anything. Had he known that she was wandering to visit her long lost sisters she would have been beaten a long, long while back.   
  
Making her way down a set of circular stairs she nodded to a guard standing in front of another door. Passing through she found herself in the cell areas. Grabbing a chart off of wall she took note of what cells were occupied by whom and tossed it away. They were here... right down the hall...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Cherry's cried out as a blinding light filled the room. Dimly, through her fingers, she saw a figure enter the doorway.  
  
"Please! The light!!" she said painfully. "Close the door!!"  
  
The figure stepped into the room and the door slid shut behind her. A familiar voice floated into Cherry's ears.  
  
"Sat-Satomi-chan? Is that you in here?"  
  
The maiden on the floor turned to the direction of the voice and her face lit up.  
  
"No... It can't be..."  
  
"Satomi! Oh Lord, I can't see in here. Where are you? Onee-chan where are you?"  
  
Satomi reached out blindly and felt her fingers grab hold of something. It felt like cloth. A smiled filled her face.  
  
"R-Rose-chan!! It's you, isn't it!"  
  
The woman held Satomi's hand tightly and knelt beside her.  
  
"Rose-chan..." she said almost dreamily. "It's been a long time since anyone called me that. Oh Satomi, It's been far too long!"  
  
"Oh Lord, Rose-chan, you have no idea! I missed you! What happened?! How come you're still here?"  
  
"We..." the woman paused. "We never escaped...Satomi..."  
  
Her eyes widened. "W-what happened? I heard but... No...Rose-chan..."  
  
"The explosive Kaiser gave us went off prematurely. We got lucky. The blast shield protected us from most of the blast, but everything in the lab was destroyed. We were almost halfway through the launch sequence."  
  
"R-Rose-chan..."  
  
"Lord Ghenna recaptured us and separated Leska and I. It's been twenty years Satomi! A little over TWENTY years! It's been so long..."  
  
The smaller maiden held her sister tightly. "I'm so sorry Rose... I really am. We've all been living lives that were so free and so careless with out even realizing we left our sisters behind..."  
  
"You had no way of knowing Satomi-chan. It's not your fault..."  
  
"Regardless..."  
  
Katsumi decided to change the subject. "I-I thought Lime was in here..."  
  
Satomi paused before answering. "She is..."  
  
Katsumi sounded surprised. "S-she is? Damn this darkness! Lime, are you here? Lime where are you? I can't see you."  
  
Cherry reached out and pulled her sister down. "No, Rose-chan...She can't hear you. She can't hear any of us.  
  
"W-why..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Come Lime, you know this is the wisest course of action! They all deserve to die for what they have done to you!"  
  
"...Yes, I suppose..."  
  
"You don't suppose, you KNOW Lime! This is what must be done! Let me free and we'll both live in happiness for the rest of our life! You'll finally be truly happy Lime! Isn't that what you want?"  
  
The maiden looked up and nodded vigorously. "Yes! More than anything!"  
  
Dark Lime's eyes glittered as she opened her arms.  
  
"Then embrace me Lime. Embrace me and cast away your foolish self. I will lead you to your happiness! Take hold of me and keep me in your heart always and I will guide you to your dream."  
  
Lime's eye seemed to light up. It was that easy? This was all she needed to do to find her happiness? Hold this angel that stood before her? Embrace this creature that opened her eyes to her own faults? All she needed to obtain her happiness was to cleanse her life of everything that made her sad, it all made sense now! It was all so clear! Shed those who made her sad... It was all so clear...  
  
  
Slowly Lime rose to her feet and smiled.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Satomi-chan this is terrible!"  
  
"I know Onee-sama. I'm beginning to worry she won't wake up..."  
  
"No, that's not what I mean Satomi. Oh my god, I need a light in here! It's too dark, I can't stand it! Shield your eyes Satomi."  
  
"S-shield? What- AHHH!!"  
  
Katsumi lit a dim flare that fill the entire cell with it's faded light. Cherry did her best to block the light away. Over a week in pitch black conditions had made her eyes very sensitive to light. She cried out and put her hand over her eyes.  
  
Leska bowed her head momentarily. "I'm sorry Satomi, but I need to see both of you, especially Lime..."  
  
Cherry squinted and nodded slowly. Katsumi smiled slightly as she looked her sister over. "You haven't changed at Satomi..."  
  
"Eh...If I could see you I'd say the same Rose-chan..."  
  
"Just let your eyes adjust Onee-chan." She turned to Lime's body on the floor and began to look it over.  
  
"Oh my god... poor Aisha..."  
  
"What's wrong with her, Rose-chan?"  
  
The older woman shook her head slowly. "This is horrible Satomi... Y-you need to see this. From what you told me all these years she's become like a totally different person. When the bullet clipped her something inside of her head must have, for lack of better expression, came loose. It sounds like Aisha changed herself. Remember, it was Kaiser's wish that she be happy always. I... I think she's trying to fulfill that wish. Unfortunately one can't be happy always... When things that are terrible happen in her life she suppresses the fear and pain she feels. It doesn't go away, Satomi, it just gets pushed away."  
  
"But she didn't remember what had happened before we were sent through time! We were in constant fear that something would jar those memories loose and...and..."  
  
Katsumi shook her head. "No, Satomi-chan. Don't you understand? What happened before we sent her away? Pain. Pain and suffering. More than she could bear. I think the wound to her head coupled with the stress of being flung through the rivers of time did something to her. She suppressed her past and it sounds like she tried to start over... The poor woman... She's spent the last years of her life living as happily as she could while all this pain and suffering boiled and bubbled right below the surface... When Ghenna came back to you all... the shock must have sent these feelings over the edge. They want to come out Satomi! They want to be let free..."  
  
Cherry shook her head. "B-but what about Lime? What about Aisha?"  
  
"Aisha is alive, Satomi-chan! She was with you all these years. Lime is Aisha without a past. Aisha and Lime are one in the same! They will always be that way. This isn't a split personality. This is one personality suppressing emotions and feelings. Eventually all she's suppressed will come bubbling up. It may even explode...violently."  
  
"Then what is this burning up inside of her?"  
  
Katsumi-chan shook her head slowly. "Fear, anger, hatred, rage, sorrow, pain..."  
  
Satomi shook her head and swallowed. "How do you know all this Onee-sama?"  
  
Her older sister smiled slightly. "Intuition. Intuition Satomi. I can just tell."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Embrace me Lime! Hold me sister..."  
  
Lime grinned happily. This is what she wanted. Happiness, right? Her sister had shown her the true light now, it was all so clear. She had been far too foolish, she had been far too blind. The road to her happiness lay in this path. It all made so much sense now.  
  
Lime opened her arms.  
  
"This is the way?"  
  
The demon before her smiled darkly. "Exactly Onee-chan. It's time..."  
  
Lime giggled innocently and strode forward. If this was the way then it was for the best, right? Here was to her happiness...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I-intuition?"  
  
Katsumi shook her head. "I really couldn't tell you. Let's just say I've seen similar things like this before."  
  
Satomi frowned. "I seem to remember someone else who had 'intuition'..."  
  
Katsumi turned to her sister. "I'm not turning into Leska..."  
  
Satomi turned to Lime. "So what's happening now?"  
  
"She's fighting with in herself, onee-chan. It looks like she's debating over her own rage. The innocence that was your sister is fighting with the demons inside her heart."  
  
Katsumi shook her head sadly. "It doesn't look good Satomi-chan... I don't think Lime is winning..."  
  
The smaller maiden shook her head slowly. "No..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru had a terrible feeling in his gut. Something was wrong with Lime. Something terrible was happening to her. Faust watched silently as Otaru beat his fists against the sides of his cell.  
  
"LIME!! LIIIME!! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Keinaro felt something stir in his stomach. He paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. Lord Ghenna stopped his eating and cocked his head over at the soldier.  
  
"Is there something the matter Hajima?"  
  
Naro shook his head and smiled. "No Lord. I suppose I was just lost in thought."  
  
"Mmmm..." Ghenna eyeballed Naro a moment longer before returning to his previous conversation.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime was less than a foot away from her sister now. All around her body the darkness swirled and spun about. It seemed to be coming alive. It seemed to be almost excited...  
  
Lime grinned one last time.  
  
"Onee-sama..."  
  
Dark Lime's smile became more and more sinister. "Lime..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru slammed his fists against the cell one last time and threw his head back.  
  
"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"...IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!"  
  
The maiden stopped half a step away from her sister and turned.   
  
"Otaru?!"  
  
Behind her she saw some one rising from the mists below. It seemed to move at incredible speeds racing up towards her. Lime turned away from her dark sister and watched as the person spread its arms and increased its speed.  
  
"O-Otaru?!"  
  
Dark Lime scowled viciously. "Lime!!"  
  
The Maiden fell to her knees and squinted her eyes trying her best to recognize the face of the body that was rapidly approaching...  
  
Lime's shoulders fell momentarily. It wasn't Otaru... Instead...  
  
In an explosion of blinding white light the figure came level with Lime. She was beautiful, Lime thought. Her hair was long and silky, her skin smooth and perfect. Behind her back a pair of massive angel wings were opened wide. The cast light everywhere and on everything behind this angel was a pure and blinding white. Lime looked up and met the angel's own eyes...  
  
They were Jade...  
  
  
"Lime..." Her voice was soft and sweet. It floated into her ears like a gift of sound bestowed unto her. "Onee-chan..."  
  
Lime smiled up to the vision of herself that floated above her. She was so beautiful...  
  
"What are you doing Lime?" she spoke again. Lime's smile started to fade. "Why are you doing this? Do you really believe this is the best way to regain your happiness? Are you really that willing to cast away everything you've held onto in your life for this?"  
  
Lime shook her head slowly. "I-I don't know what you mean..."  
  
Angel Lime opened her arms high in the air and spread her wings wide. In a dazzling flash of light the wings faded and the woman gently descended to the ground. She walked up to her sister with the saddest eyes Lime had ever seen anyone bear.  
  
"You've forgotten, haven't you Lime?"  
  
"F-forgotten what?"  
  
Dark Lime scowled. Behind her everything was pitch black, darkness broken by nothing.  
  
"It's too late! She's already chosen! Isn't that right Lime?"  
  
The Angel Lime returned the Dark Lime's scowl. " She hasn't made any decision. Your lies have covered her eyes and deceived her long enough!"  
  
Lime took a step back. She was right in the middle of this. Right below her the dazzling white met the impenetrable darkness. She was becoming confused. What was going on?  
  
The Angelic Lime cupped her sister's face in her hands.  
  
"Lime, listen to me... What that creature is telling you isn't the whole truth. Yes... you will be happy Lime, but it will be the wrong kind of happiness! It will be the terrible kind, the kind where you will delight in the screams of those who were once innocent. It will be the kind where your soul will become black as night. You will lose everything you once held true about yourself."  
  
Lime shook her head slowly. "But I'll be happy, right?"  
  
Dark Lime smiled. "Of course you will Lime!"  
  
The Angel Lime shook her head savagely. "No! No Lime! It's not the happiness you seek! It's not what you are looking for! Lord Ghenna lives in this kind of happiness Lime! Do you want to become like him as well?"  
  
Lime stopped. She never looked at it that way... Her angelic sister continued.  
  
"You don't want that Lime. That's not what you seek. You want to love, onee-chan! You want others to love you in return. You want to make those around you happy and make them smile. You don't know this Lime, but you have always been happy."  
  
The maiden blinked and looked up.  
  
"You've always been happy Lime. Remember those long nights with Kaiser, warm in his arms. Or those magnificent runs you two used to take. Remember the life you and your sisters all made together in that little facility? Remember all the times you fell unto sleep at rest and peaceful? Remember Otaru, Lime. Remember how he made you feel! Remember all the times he smiled at you! Remember all the times he held you tightly. Remember all the times he made you smile, made you laugh..."  
  
"Made you cry!" The Dark Lime finished. "He is just another one of them Lime! He doesn't love you!!"  
  
"NO!! Lime you know that isn't true! Remember all the nights he worked late just so that you could wake up every morning to hot food and a warm bed? Remember all the times he returned bleeding and torn because his job was terrible on his body? How about all the times he sweat blood and tears for your comfort?"  
  
Dark Lime scoffed. "He was working for the two whores you once called sisters. He was working for them, not you Lime. You were just part of the packaged deal."  
  
"Then what about all the other times, Lime? What about when he took you up alone to show you the fireworks? Or when he let your sisters go on to the carnival while he stayed at your side at home because you had fallen ill? Remember when he came home with that huge bouquet of flowers made entirely out of candy for you? Have you forgotten those times as well Lime?"  
  
The maiden in the middle dropped her eyes and shook her head slowly.  
  
"I...I..."  
  
Dark Lime shook her head and laughed. "He was using you Lime! He only wanted your body just like everyone else on this god forsaken planet!"  
  
The Angel Lime smiled softly. "He wasn't using you Lime. He never used you. He never made you do anything you didn't want to do. You never worked, you never fought, you were always comfortable and happy. He never made you or your sisters work for pay a single day in all the time you spent there. He only put out more hours for you. How could he have been using you Lime? He only made you happy, remember?"  
  
"If he loved you so much Lime," the darker half said slowly, "Then why isn't he here now helping you?"  
  
  
Lime crouched on the ground shaking her head slowly. She couldn't decide anymore. On one side she had happiness guaranteed. Remove those that make you sad and all that will be left is happiness. On the other hand she had a life that she once lived where she thought she was happy. People whom she trusted. People whom she adored. It was a life that, at one time, she would have fought viciously to defend. Now this line had been blurred. What had seemed so clear before was now faded and out of focus. At one time she would have simply followed her heart, but now even that was torn in two.  
  
"I...I..." she shook her head savagely. "I don't know any more! I just don't know!!"  
  
She wanted to be happy! Beyond anything else she wanted to be smiling with joy. Both ways seemed to offer this gift and both ways threatened to take it away. She couldn't decide... She just couldn't decide...  
  
"You've never wanted to hurt anyone ever before Lime. Why do you want to now?"  
  
Tears once more brimmed her eyes. "Because they hurt ME!! They're always hurting me!! I've never tried to kill anyone. I've only acted in self-defense, only when I had no other choice. But 'them', those people out there, they always try to hurt me! They always make me cry and hurt my heart! They always betray me..."  
  
The angelic Lime knelt beside her sister. "Why sink to their level then, Lime? I know you're better than all of them. Do you know why? Do you know why Lime?"  
  
The maiden looked up soflty sobbing. "Why..."  
  
Her sister smiled. "Because even when they hurt you, you still go on loving them..."  
  
Lime blinked slowly.  
  
"You still love Otaru, Lime. You still love him deeply. I know you remember. I know you do. Do you know how I know?"  
  
"W-why?"  
  
The Angelic Lime smiled once more. "Because I still love him. More than anything else in this world. I love Otaru. I hear him crying for you, even if you don't. I still want to hold him. I still want to reach out and hug him tightly. You and I, Lime, are one in the same. If I still love him then so do you..."  
  
The dark half shook her head resolutely. "You still know the facts Lime. Where is he now? Why can't we her his cries? He's still betrayed you Lime. At the first sign of trouble he left you. He was standing there and watched you being taken away and he did nothing. You know this and I know this. You have to decide Lime, how are you going to live your life! Will we survive or will you follow down the path that will get you broken and battered and betrayed time and time again? It's your choice Lime."  
  
The angel nodded. "You decide."  
  
"It is your life that you will lead..."  
  
"...and the both of us are a course that you must choose..."  
  
"...we are the angels and the devils on your shoulder..."  
  
"...tempting and guiding..."  
  
"...teaching and instructing..."  
  
"...making known your paths that lie open for you..."  
  
"...throughout your entire life..."  
  
"...what you decide..."  
  
"...we will obey..."  
  
"...Good or bad..."  
  
"...light or dark..."  
  
"...we are the course of your life..."  
  
"...survival or destruction..."  
  
"...it is your place to choose..."  
  
"...we are you..."  
  
"...and you are we..."  
  
"...demon with fire in his eyes..."  
  
"...or the angel who soars high and free..."  
  
"...make your choice onee-chan..."  
  
"...and live with it for the rest of your life..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Have you seen my other sisters?"  
  
"Yes, onee-chan. They are all ok. No one, not even Bloodberry-chan, is seriously hurt."  
  
"Do they know what will happen to us?"  
  
"I'm afraid no one really knows. Lord Ghenna is as unpredictable as he is dangerous."  
  
"What about Lime?"  
  
"I...I can't really say Satomi-chan. This is something she has to work out within her own soul. It is all up to her now. We can only wait."  
  
Cherry fell silent once more. Katsumi smiled slightly. "Onee-chan, If Lime is anything like she once was I know she will pull through for us..."  
  
"...That's just the thing..." she said softly. "She isn't very much like she once was anymore..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I don't know, I DON'T KNOW!!" Lime cried out holding her head tightly. "I just don't know... I can't decide anymore... I need more time... Just some more time...."  
  
Slowly the two opposites of Lime backed away from her.   
  
"So be it Lime... We shall give you more time..."  
  
"Choose wisely onee-chan. Your choice will guide you through the rest of your life be that long or short..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"The executions in three days Satomi-chan. That's all the time you have left before your men die."  
  
"We can't allow that to happen, especially not to Lime-chan. She would fall apart forever if we lost Otaru..."  
  
"Don't worry then. I will do my best to either save your men or get you all out. I promise this..."  
  
"What about Jade-chan?"  
  
Katsumi averted her eyes and shook her head slowly. "I don't know about her anymore. I've learned long since to block her from reading my mind. The trick is to think of something else constantly. It puts up enough background noise to block her out. I usually do this chant that I was taught along time ago. I repeat it over and over to drown out all my other thoughts."  
  
"Y-yes, I'm sure, but what ABOUT her though? She's still our sister!"  
  
"I'm not so sure, Satomi-chan. Lord Ghenna broke her badly. He practically destroyed her. What Kisa did to Aisha was nothing compared to Lord Ghenna. He broke her, beat her, forced her to kill and maim others; she fell apart Satomi. All I could do was watch as she steadily grew worse and worse. They said that she even bore a child of Ghenna's. She was forced into becoming a mother."  
  
Satomi shook her head slowly. "No..."  
  
"I've never seen him and I don't know if the rumors are true or not, but still..."  
  
She fell silent a moment. Satomi shook her head sadly. Things have all gone to hell since they've been away...  
  
"Now that I think back upon it, it was almost eighteen years ago when he finally shattered her innocence and she became his follower. Now she obeys without question. She's too well trained to do otherwise. She will kill without asking why, she will torture because she is told to do so, she will shatter others lives without so much as a second thought any more. Jade-chan, as you called her Satomi, is dead. She died a long, long time ago...  
  
"I'm afraid the only way we are going to be able free her is to kill Ghenna. Hopefully then we can break his spell. Hopefully then she'll open her eyes and return to normal. We have to kill that old man..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The psychic narrowed her eyes at Naro. She couldn't read his thoughts clearly at all. He was still singing that same damned chant. It was as if there was something for him to hide behind those words. He was so much like Katsumi. Leksa was sure of it, Naro had something to hide. Behind all his smiles and all his laughter and good cheer Naro was hiding something...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I have to get going now Satomi. I've already spent far too much time here."  
  
"No, wait, onee-sama! Please don't leave yet! There's so much more we need to talk about."  
  
"I can't Satomi-chan. I really do need to go. I can't hang around her any longer."  
  
"W-when will you be back?"  
  
The older woman smiled. "I'm not to sure, but I'll be back definitely before the executions."  
  
"And Lime?"  
  
"You'll just have to wait Satomi-chan. Take care of her if she wakes up. She's in your hands now. All we can do is wait..."  
  
With that Katsumi turned to leave. Satomi called after her one last time.  
  
"Onee-sama?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
She smiled softly. "My name is Cherry now. Call me Cherry."  
  
The woman in the lab coat smiled in return.  
  
"Ja ne, Cherry-chan..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The only thing that kept Katsumi-chan in Ghenna's favor was that she was the leading scientist in Artificial Intelligence research. She was the head of the largest science team in all of Mesopotamia. It was Ghenna's goal to recreate the system that Lorelei once worked on before the destruction of the original mother ship.  
  
It was Katsumi's mind that was leading the research. She was the one making the most advancements in the computer code. For some reason every time she looked at it she didn't see code. Instead she saw the yes' and the no's. She saw how the computer would think and react. She read the code like another person. Everything seemed to come together when she was the one working the controls behind the wheel.  
  
Lord Ghenna was very much impressed with her research and after the completion of the project planned on putting her to work in several other areas where she would be of much importance. He was excited. Leska and Katsumi were two of his finest creations. They were the ones who were going to lead his army in the years to come. They were his hopes and dreams now.  
  
Much to Katsumi's relief no one noticed when her missing upon her return to the labs.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Deep inside Lime's heart she knelt upon the ground. Her head was cupped in her hands and she sobbed quietly. Everything had fallen black once more. A cold wind stirred her hair about her body. All the warmth had left her once more. Deep in the void the angels and the demons that once plagued her were gone. One more she was all alone. Her sobs echoed in the darkness reflecting seemingly off nothing and everything. Alone she wept unsure of the path on which to travel. No longer was it a matter of right or wrong. There was no 'right' or 'wrong'. All that remained was Life or Death. Survive in a future where killing was the only option, or follow an uncertain path embracing life and all its forms. Either way could break her. Either way could kill her.  
  
She thought about Otaru. About the life she used to lead with him. About her sisters, Bloodberry and Cherry. She thought about her home in Japoness. About all the kind people there. About Otaru's boss. About old man Gennai. About the candyman.  
  
She remembered all the times she got in trouble. About all the mistakes she ever made. All the times Otaru ever yelled at her. All the times she got into fights with Bloodberry. All the times she broke something expensive. All the times she broke down Otaru's door or put a hole in his wall. All the times the neighbors were mad at her.  
  
She curled her body into a little ball and wept. She didn't know if she wanted to go back to all that. To go back to all those people. All their anger. All their faces. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to Otaru. All his words and all his anger; all his love and all his giving; all his moods and all his traits. She wasn't sure anymore...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I could...  
...hold my head up high.  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I first saw you.  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I could stand on my own two feet again.  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I could call you.  
  
And everything I can't remember...  
As fucked up as it all may seem;  
The consequences that are rendered,  
I've stretched myself beyond my means!!  
  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I could say...  
...that I wasn't addicted. And...  
It's been awhile...  
Since I could say I loved myself as well. And...  
It's been awhile...  
Since I've gone and fucked things up just like I always do!!  
And it's been awhile...  
But all that shit seems to disappear when I'm with you!!  
  
And everything I can't remember,  
As fucked up as it all may seem;  
The consequences that I've rendered,  
I've gone and fucked things up again!!  
Agaaaaain~  
  
Why must I feel this waaaaaaay?!  
  
Just make this go awaaaaaaay!!  
  
Just one more peaceful daaaaaaaay!!!  
  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I could...  
...look at myself straight...  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I said I'm sorry...  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I've seen the way the candle lights your face...  
And it's been awhile...  
But I can still remember just the way you taste!!  
  
And everything I can't remember!!  
As fucked up as it all may seem to be I know it's me!!  
I cannot blame this on my father!  
He did the best he could for me...  
  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I could...  
...hold my head up high...  
And it's been awhile...  
Since I've said I'm sorry...  
  
  
~Its Been A While  
Staind  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Alone she wept.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
[Two Days Later]  
  
  
"You're the one who goes by Katsumi, correct?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Naro nodded slowly. "Please come with me."  
  
The woman blinked. "B-but I have business here to attend to. Who needs to see me?"  
  
"I do. Now if you please."  
  
Katsumi narrowed her eyes. "You're that Naro aren't you? Listen here. I'm busy at the moment. You'll just have to come back at some other-"  
  
[SLAP]  
  
Everyone in the lab stopped and turned. Katsumi held her hand up to her cheek her eyes wide in shock. Naro'd just slapped her.  
  
"You need to learn your place woman! Now come with me right now or next time I won't restrain myself like this time!"  
  
Grabbing her roughly by her arm he led her out of the labs.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro took her to the star docks and onto the Spera. Within half an hour they were at cruising altitude and traveling swiftly away from The City. As the floating metropolis disappeared into the horizon Naro set the ship into autopilot.  
  
"Come on, we're going up on deck."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Katsumi stood there with her hands folded. She gave Naro a dirty look as he came up the lift onto the main deck of the ship.  
  
"So you are Katsumi, ne? You know Aisha and her bastard sisters?"  
  
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Yes..."  
  
"I've been told that you went to see them a few days ago. Is this true?"  
  
She immediately came on guard. "W-what?"  
  
"I asked you..." he said drawing close to her. "Did you go and see them several days ago?"  
  
"What if I did?"  
  
"You conspired with them about escaping, ne?"  
  
Katsumi began to get nervous. "W-what are you talking about?"  
  
Naro's eyes grew hard. "You conspired with them to escape. Don't lie to me."  
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about-"  
  
With a snarl Naro grabbed her by her arms and flung her over the rail of the ship. Below her lay nothing but air for thousands of feet. As she felt her body begin to fall she screamed. Suddenly she jerked to a stop. Looking up she saw Naro holding her by her large lab coat.  
  
"Oh my god..."  
  
"DON'T LIE TO ME ANYMORE!!" Naro's face was a mask of fury. Katsumi felt her stomach flip as the coat began to tear. "Now you will tell me RIGHT NOW if you conspired with those women! You'd better hurry up, this coat isn't going to last much longer woman! Then you will be dead and you won't be very much help to them then, ne?!"  
  
As she dangled helplessly three miles into the air her resolve finally broke down.   
  
"YES! Yes I did conspire with them! We're planning on getting out sometime before the executions!"  
  
Upon hearing this Naro's face changed. In an instant it went from wild rage to a wide grin.  
  
"Y' serious now?"  
  
"Yes! Yes I'm serious!! Now please! Let me up!!"  
  
Naro's smile widened. "No." And with that he let go.  
  
With a scream Katsumi fell...  
  
  
...about two feet before landing on an invisible safety shield just under the deck. Naro started to laugh.   
  
"Sorry! Forgot to tell you about the safety net under there. My mistake!"  
  
Katsumi stared at him with an incredulous expression mixed with shock.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry I acted like an ass hole. I have an image I need to keep up infront of everyone else. Besides I needed to make sure you were really on my side!"  
  
[SMACK]  
  
Naro rubbed his cheek tenderly while Katsumi scowled at him.  
  
"Eye for an eye Naro."  
  
"Jesus..."  
  
The woman turned away and walked over to the other side of the deck.  
  
"What do you want Naro..."  
  
"Same thing you want." He said walking over to her side. "To get the others free."  
  
Katsumi's face was impassive. "Oh?"  
  
"Oh?" Naro cocked an eyebrow. "Is that all you can say? Oh? We're both seeking the same thing here. Can't you think of a better response than 'Oh'?"  
  
"How about I don't believe you."  
  
"Oh, your killing me..."  
  
She whirled on him. "Don't you try to pull this smooth guy shit on me Naro! I am not impressed. As far as I know you are out to get me captured or worse for treason against Ghenna. I'm not falling into your trap. Do you really expect me to believe you?! You're the one who sent them there in the first place and now you want to free them?! Do I look that stupid to you Keinaro?!"  
  
"I'm not asking you to trust me on this, yet. All I'm asking is that you hear me out on this one."  
  
"Oh please! Just talking about this is enough to warrant treason and you know it! I'm positive you have little listening devices set up all along this thing! The minute I say something I get arrested! I have no reason to believe you. You are the best deceiver in all of Ghenna's force."  
  
Naro grinned. "Exactly! I've only deceived three since I've returned; You, Those that I took back with me and all of Mesopotamia."  
  
Katsumi cocked an eye but continued her glare as Naro went on. "Besides Katsumi, you've already said enough for me to warrant an arrest for treason."  
  
The blonde stared at the Gray Eye for a moment before crossing her arms.  
  
"All right. I guess I'm knee deep in trouble already. Death is death in the end."  
  
Naro nodded slowly. "You can trust me Katsumi."  
  
"Like the others?"  
  
The Gray Eye frowned. "I haven't lied to any of them."  
  
"You betrayed them all to Ghenna!"  
  
"It was the only way Katsumi-chan. This is part of the plan that was laid out."  
  
"What plan?"  
  
Naro leaned against the rail. "Why the plan to kill Lord Ghenna of course."  
  
Katsumi only blinked at first. The weight of what Naro said didn't hit until a moment later.  
  
"K-KILL Lord Ghenna?! Now, Naro, this isn't just treason any more. We're now talking about full blown High Treason! Do you have any idea the consequences your words alone have?!"  
  
"Yes I do. Do you understand what I am saying Katsumi-chan? I am talking about organizing the full blown murder of the most powerful man in all the land. I'm talking about over throwing the biggest empire this land as ever seen. You're damn right I'm talking about high treason."  
  
"N-Naro, why would we need to go so far?"  
  
"Because even if we send all you away once more Ghenna will hunt you down again just like he did this time. I was sent out because there were traces of time scarring in that age that were unaccounted for by the science teams. Ghenna will only do the same once more."  
  
"So you are going to kill him?"  
  
The Gray Eye nodded slowly. "That's the plan."  
  
Katsumi took a deep breath and shook her head slowly.  
  
"What you're saying is suicide Naro. Have you forgotten about Leska? She will destroy you with out so much as a second thought."  
  
"I understand. The trick is getting close to Ghenna. Y'see I'm taking after Kaiser now. Do you know why Kaiser succeeded in sending those women away?"  
  
"Luck?"  
  
Naro chuckled. "Yes, there was a healthy degree of that, but there was something else. Kaiser had Ghenna's trust. In the Lord's eyes Kaiser was someone totally and completely loyal to him. He was someone who could do no wrong. For that, not only was Kaiser able to get close to the man he was also able to move and act using his name. Kaiser got into the shot..."  
  
"...Because he used Lord Ghenna's name as the reason. He practically forced his way in using that name as an excuse. The only one who stopped us was that one little guard."  
  
"I can do almost the same now. You know how I am a national celebrity?"  
  
Katsumi scowled. "Yeah, I couldn't go anywhere with out seeing your face."  
  
"Exactly. I will use this to my advantage. The plan follows like this if you are interested. We throw open the cells and let the rest free. I'm sure one if us can bullshit an excuse. Then we lead them to the Spera down in the docks and before anyone notices you guys are all up and away. I, on the other hand, stay behind. I wait about fifteen minutes before heading back up and report to Lord Ghenna that the prisoners are gone. Then when his back is turned and I am close, I strike! With him out of the picture Mesopotamia will collapse shortly after."  
  
"What happens after you kill him? You still haven't accounted for Leska. She'll read your mind long before you get close!"  
  
"Once Ghenna is gone I can care less about what Leska does to me. Ghenna hasn't backed his mind up nor are there any clones of his body in production. His body is built exactly like yours and your sisters. Once the body dies the cells loose their DNA codes and that is that."  
  
"That doesn't tell me how you're going to slip past Leska's eye."  
  
Naro smiled. "The same way you've been doing it Katsumi-chan. I'll mask my memories with music."  
  
The woman blinked a moment before shaking her head once more. "Naro... I don't think that will cover up totally what you are about to do. When the time comes that's going to overpower all your 'covers'. Leska will know."  
  
"I know that, but the idea is she's not going to be certain of what she's seeing until it's too late! Once Ghenna dies, what ever happens, happens. I could care less."  
  
Katsumi resumed her glare. "You're not going to follow Kaiser all the way to the end, Naro. Once Ghenna is gone you're going to escape with the rest of us."  
  
"How are you going to pull that off?"  
  
"I'll follow you to him-"  
  
"Nope." Naro shook his head. "I need you to guide them all to the starport in The City. You're the only one that knows the way."  
  
"Then wait for me Naro! After that I'll come back and we will go together. You're going to need someone at your side for this. Someone to make sure you don't die. If you're going to do this for us you'd better damn well survive!"  
  
Naro leaned back against the rail and smiled. "Now why would you do something like this for me? I thought you didn't trust me."  
  
Katsumi turned away and exhaled loudly. "I don't know, Naro. I guess it's just the right thing to do."  
  
"The right thing to do? So you trust me now?"  
  
She smiled thinly. "No, not really. But this is really the only plan anyone's come up with. It doesn't make it a good plan, but with less than three days left I guess it'll have to do."  
  
"There's still a million things that could go wrong."  
  
"That's true with any plan. The only reason I'm flying with you on this one is because either way I do things I'm dammed. If you've got my voice recorded it doesn't matter any more. Simply talking about this warrants death. It's too late for me."  
  
Nodding slowly Naro met her eyes. 'They're pretty...' he thought.   
  
"I'm on your side Katsumi. I've already made my decision. We're going to get everyone away from this place and we're going to kill Ghenna. We're in a nightmare. This is one dream that will follow us for the rest of our lives. If we don't go through with this you and your sisters will never wake up from it. It will only get worse. If you're not with me on this 100% then I can't guarantee you even living to see the end of this flight..."  
  
"You're threatening me?!"  
  
"You're damn right I am. I don't want this compromised. You know what I am going to do and if you are not with me then you are a threat. You could ruin this whole thing. Those women mean too much to me and if you aren't with me you are against me and, therefore, you must be taken care of."  
  
Katsumi forrowed her eyebrows. "They're my SISTERS for God's sakes! Of course I want them to escape! Your problem is that no one can trust you! You've betrayed them, you're talking of betraying Lord Ghenna, you've lied to everyone on this entire planet and you want me to blindly follow you?! Have you forgotten WHY Ghenna sent you!? You're his best Gray Eye when it comes to deceiving people!"  
  
"Then I guess all you can do in the end is trust me because either way you look at it this is the only way you're ever going to get them out of those cells. This isn't my plan, now. An old, old man far in the future recommended it to me. The only other person on this entire planet who knows what I am doing right now if Faust... The man inside that cell with Otaru."  
  
Katsumi raised her eyebrows. "He knows about this?"  
  
"Of course he does. He's the one who helped orchestrate it."  
  
The woman narrowed her eyes once more and pointed her finger. "If I go back down and find that he knew nothing about this..."  
  
"Then you're screwed anyway because I would have already turned in the tapes."  
  
She shook her head slowly. "Catch 22..."  
  
"Dammed if you do, dammed if you don't."  
  
Finally shaking her head slowly she cracked a smile. "Don't get me wrong. I still hate you. What you did was terrible, I don't care about what ever 'plan' you had in mind. You may have hurt Lime very deeply. But, as it stands, it appears we're both going after the same goal. If you're lying to me then I am dammed already, nothing I do from here on out will change anything. I'll stand by you on this Naro. For the sake of my sisters I'll stand by your side."  
  
The Gray Eye nodded. "All right then. It's settled. Two days from now..."  
  
"Two days? Isn't that cutting it a bit close?"  
  
"It's not like if we screw up we'll get another chance. Wait until the last minute to make sure everything is all ironed out."  
  
"This plan is so full of holes..."  
  
"I know it's not the best plan in the world, but it's all we have and it's all I've been holding onto since I turned them in. It's just the way it's going to have to be."  
  
Katsumi's gaze fell to the deck and she sighed. "I don't like this at all... But for the sake of my sisters..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The woman scientist walked briskly through the corridors of the science labs. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotion. There was so much that could have gone wrong. They had only one more day remaining before they were going to pull it off...  
  
The hallway was crowded with science personnel leaving from and going to their posts. It was early morning and everyone was in a rush for their next shift. As the torrent of people rushed to and fro around the woman she calmly went on so lost in thought she didn't even notice them.   
  
The plan was a terrible one. There were so many things that could throw the whole thing off. What happens if they're stopped by a Bishop? What happens if neither of them could get the woman free from their cells? What if this was really a trap set by Naro? He's been double faced before.  
  
Katsumi cared deeply for her sisters. Despite the long twenty years that it had been since she had last seen them the love she had was still there. She wanted little more than to see them living their lives in happiness and comfort away from the devil and all his works. Now they were going to do the unthinkable. They weren't only just going to defy Satan himself, they were going to face off with him and destroy him and his mighty empire.  
  
She shook her head slowly. Suicide. That was what best described what they were going to do. Just plain old suicide. Katsumi knew that something was going to go wrong. Plans like this rarely ever went smoothly. Naro said that an older Faust from the future planned this whole thing out. She had no idea what the hell he was thinking when he came up with this thing. It was so spotty and full of holes, it seemed so rushed [Author's Note: Much like this plot. :D].   
  
But as it stood it was their only plan. It was the only chance they had. Naro seemed confident, but something inside her said that it was false. Some shade or vision told her that Naro wasn't really as confident as he made himself out to be. It was either fear in there, or it was deceit. Katsumi wasn't sure which one it was exactly. In the end she'd given in not because Naro convinced her about the plan. In the end it was that 'fear' she saw in him. She saw deep, deep into Naro's eyes. There was fear in there. That fear that lay hidden in the shadows of his soul. It meant that he could be trusted. Fear was a sign of worry, worry meant he knew about how bad the plan was. If he knew that he was sincere about everything he told her...  
  
But then again, that could have been deceit, not fear...  
  
Katsumi's thoughts came to a stop when she bumped into someone. Looking up her eyes widened. She was looking into the dead eye of Leska.  
  
"O-Onee-sama! Y-you scared me! What are you doing down here?"  
  
Leska said nothing. Nodding once she turned and walked past her sister down the hall. Katsumi watched her go with apprehension.  
  
"StupidstupidstupidBAKAYERO!!!" she muttered under her breath. Did Leska hear her thoughts? Does she know about the plan?!  
  
  
The tall, dark woman's face was deadpan as she moved slowly away.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru leaned against the wall of his cell and stared blankly ahead. How ever many days since he first came into this cell were a mystery to him. He didn't care though. Lime was out there somewhere, somewhere close by. He could feel it. A few days ago he felt her. For a moment he was there standing right beside her. He had a feel of dread about himself. He could see her approaching another figure. This figure was dark and evil looking. Its hands were black and gnarled, its body radiated a terrible light, its eyes glittered savagely in the dark. Otaru felt something about this creature. It was evil. It was a demon of some sort. He watched as Lime slowly walked towards it with her arms extended and a large, blank smile on her face.  
  
Otaru remembered calling out to her. He remembered screaming at her and wailing as loudly as he could. The next thing he knew was that he was standing there back in the dark of his cell pounding the walls furiously with the feeling of foreboding still resting very heavily on his shoulders. After that he said little and did little. Lime was in trouble and there was no way for Otaru to escape and help her. She was in danger and he was trapped unable to be at her side. All he could do was wait and pray Lime would last long enough for him to come to her aid, where ever she was...  
  
Faust said nothing during these times. He was saving his energy. The time was to come where he would have to be ready to flee. Naro would arrive soon if he was truly on their side. The performance Faust saw was more than convincing. His entire personality changed. He went from being a kind, self-assured man to an evil and violent servant of Ghenna. Perhaps he was too convincing. He shattered Lime. Faust could still distinctly remember the broken look she gave him before she was carried away. That was betrayal he saw in her eyes. Faust could only hope that Naro hadn't done any permanent damage.  
  
Hanagata slept beside Otaru fitfully. The little man had done his best to stay by his love's side at full attention and readiness, but after almost three days he finally gave in to the sleep. Physically he just wasn't up to it. He was worried almost sick. He didn't want any of Otaru's maidens to go through this. The women were in direct competition with him for Otaru's heart, but since hearing their tale his hatred toward them had vanished. They were more than just machines. They had hearts of their own, souls of their own, minds of their own and lives of their own. That didn't give them the right to steal his Otaru away from him, but he saw them in a whole new light now. They had hopes and dreams as well. They too felt pain and sorrow. They were human.  
  
As much as he would have hated to admit it they were his kin. They were his brethren. They were humans as well on this rock that had once been devoid of life. The same hearts that beat in their chests beat in his. The same eyes that saw the world were in his head as well. The same hands that sought to hold Otaru in them were given to him as well. Hanagata was still at odds with the women, but he didn't seek their destruction any more. They had become almost family now. He found himself caring for what had happened in their past, and felt his heart break when Lime was betrayed by Naro. These women who could go through so much and still find it in their hearts to smile deserved much more than Hana had given them in the past.  
  
Otaru cared deeply for those women. Almost his entire life was centered around them. Until a few days ago Hanagata saw this only as an obstruction. Now things were different. They had become a challenge now. They weren't an obstacle anymore. They were competitors. He was in a competition for Otaru's heart. If they died that competition would vanish, and what fun would running a race be if you were the only one sprinting along?  
  
  
As the three men continued to lay where they were, a noise was heard on the other side of the door. Faust looked up and turned his head to the direction of the noise. It sounded like bolt being thrown. Suddenly the whole door started to rumble. With a hiss and an unlocking noise the door slowly swung opened up. Faust and Otaru quickly turned away from the blinding white light while Hanagata finally came awake.  
  
"W-what the... Who's there?!" Otaru snarled into the light.  
  
A figure filled the blinding opening and stood silhouetted against the light. A familiar chuckle entered the cell.  
  
"Good! It's nice to see you three are all still alive!"  
  
It was Keinaro.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
As she threw the cell door open for Cherry and Lime Katsumi saw Naro enter the men's cell. A second later he came flying out. With a surprised cry he slammed against the far wall and fell to the floor. Otaru stepped out with a look of fury on his face. Naro eyeballed the young man while rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"All right, I guess I deserved that..."  
  
"Fuck you Keinaro!!" He snarled. "I'm going to turn you black and blue!"  
  
"Nooonono! Wait! I can explain!" The Gray Eye said raising his arms.  
  
Heedless, Otaru rushed forward and pounced on Naro and proceeded to lay the smack down onto the older warrior. As he did his best to beat away the angry young man Naro turned to Faust who had been standing calmly beside the cell door. Behind him Hanagata blinked curiously out.  
  
"Faust! Faust you idiot! Give me a hand here! You know who's side I'm on!!"  
  
The tall blonde man shook his head slowly. "No, after what you did to Lime I think you deserve this..."  
  
"WHAT!?" Naro practically shrieked. As the rest exited their cells while Katsumi continued to open them they saw Otaru throttling Naro and decided to join the fray. Before long only Bloodberry, who was examining Lime's still unconscious form, Katsumi, Hanagata and Faust were the only ones standing by watching the fight ensue.  
  
"Why you little shit! I'll teach you to betray us!!"  
  
"Look what you did to Lime you stinking little..."  
  
"Die, Naro!!"  
  
"Where the hell are we, little piece of..."  
  
"You betray us and you still have the balls to show your face, eh?"  
  
"PLEASE!! Y'GOTTA LISTEN TO ME!! I SWEAR I'm on YOUR side!! I HAD to betray you!!"  
  
"Shaadaap!!!"  
  
[KAPOW]  
  
Katsumi leaned over to Faust. "You understand, sir, that if he gets torn to pieces it's going to be a little hard to get past all the guards we're going to see along the way."  
  
"Yes, I guess so. Bruises all over his body won't help convince the guards. We'd better step in..."  
  
"No, no, wait. I didn't say we had to step in NOW. I just said at some point or another we would have to."  
  
"Ahhh." Faust smiled and nodded slowly. He looked over to her and cocked his head slightly. She was a beautiful woman. Her appearances reminded him so much of Lorelei, except for the brown eyes that is. His smile deepened slightly. Yes, she did very much resemble his lost love...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro sat down along the wall nursing his injured body. He cast dirty looks to everyone sitting around him. He rubbed his bruising cheek and scowled.  
  
"See if I help any of you again. Next time you all can just sit inside those cells..."  
  
"Oh, shut up Naro. You deserved that." Katsumi said standing by anxiously. "The least you could have done was tell us."  
  
"No, he couldn't have." Faust said calmly sitting beside Katsumi. "We were afraid Leska was going to scan all of your minds and figure out what we were planning on doing. That is why we had to have Naro betray you all. You all had to be so completely and utterly convinced that he was on Ghenna's side that Leska would be convinced of the same when she scanned your memories. He is the number one deceiver in all of Ghenna's forces. You all know that now. He almost had me convinced."  
  
Otaru still scowled. "You didn't have to hurt Lime like that, Naro!"  
  
The rest nodded.  
  
"Geyaaa... All right, maybe I did go a little far there, but you all were convinced, right?"  
  
Cherry sat and pulled her legs up. "Look at Lime now, Naro. That was the price of you 'convincing' us. Something inside her is fighting. Rose-sama said that all her anger and fear was fighting for control of her soul. You hurt her pretty badly."  
  
The Gray Eye looked over tiredly. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want me to do? What's done is done. I can't change anything, you've all beaten the living shit out of me and as we speak we are running out of time. Screaming at me about this won't help anything!!"  
  
"But it'll make me feel a whole lot better..." Otaru said softly.   
  
Groaning Naro rose to his feet. "Regardless, I'm loosing my temper. I'm sorry about Lime, I'm sorry I over did it, but what's done is done. Right now the only thing I want to do is to get you all out of here. We're running out of time. If you all feel like destroying me wait until we are all breathing free air away from this place."  
  
Faust rose. "For once Naro is correct. There will be time for this later, but until then we need to escape. Katsumi, do you know the way out of here?"  
  
The woman nodded. "Yeah, so does Naro. We'll have to ride a tram from here to the space bay. Once there all we need to do is find the correct ship, board it and we're off. That's the easy part."  
  
Tiger looked over to her sister. "What's the hard part?"  
  
Naro groaned and shook his head slowly. "Your sister and I stay behind to kill Ghenna."  
  
The rest shifted uncomfortably. Otaru finally looked up at Naro. "K-kill him? Are you two crazy? What about Leska? I heard she was his body guard."  
  
Katsumi nodded. "She is. Naro and I hope to get close enough to him anyway in order to strike the old man down. One he's out of the way neither of us are really worried about Leska. What ever happens, happens."  
  
Bloodberry rose. "No! Rose-chan, are you crazy? What if she kills you both?"  
  
"Don't matter to us. We just want to get all of you out." Naro answered.  
  
Luchs whirled on Naro. "Be quiet you! You have no right to make that decision for her!"  
  
"Krysta, no." Katsumi rose and came up behind her. "He didn't make that choice for me, I did."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He wanted me to escape with the rest of you but I said no. If he's risking everything for us I want him to come back. He's not going to follow in Kaiser's footsteps until the very end. I'm going to make sure of that. I'm tired of loosing my saviors."  
  
Bloodberry blinked. "B-but, Rose-chan..."  
  
The blonde woman shook her head. "We have to kill that old man one way or another. This is how it must be done."  
  
"Actually..." Faust stood and brushed himself off. "This was the part of the plan I felt the uneasiest about."  
  
Naro exhaled and shook his head. "That makes two of us, man..."  
  
"...So I've been thinking isn't there a better way to go about killing that man other than a direct confrontation?"  
  
Katsumi shook her head. "A sniper wouldn't do the job, Leska would pick him out in an instant."  
  
"No, not a sniper... I mean a more indirect way."  
  
"Huh?" All nine of them cocked their heads. Faust cradled his chin in his fingers and narrowed his eyes pensively.  
  
"Are we on a ship or something larger, Naro?"  
  
"We're on the super city just out side of Petersburg."  
  
Hanagata finally spoke up. "Super City? You mean that floating one? Uhh, where Gheddon was?"  
  
"Yeah, we're right under that tower right now."  
  
Faust's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, exactly! This is just the scale we will need!"  
  
Cherry leaned forward. "What are you talking about Lord Faust?"  
  
"Naro! Are we in the past or the present."  
  
The Gray Eye smirked. "We're always in the present, but if you mean are we closer to 200 A.C. or 1029 A.C. we're near the latter. Lord Ghenna brought the city forward in time to re-assert his authority here. He's power hungry, like all totalitarian dictators. He want's all the times to worship him, not just his own. I think he's scouting the landscape or something. I'm not too sure, why?"  
  
Faust grinned began to laugh. "It all becomes clear now. No wonder!"  
  
"Faust-sama?" Tiger put her hand on his shoulder. The tall man turned to her and smiled.   
  
"This is why we were never able to find any remnants of the great super city! This is why Mesopotamia fell!! We're in OUR time!"  
  
Bloodberry frowned slightly. "You're loosing me..."  
  
Faust grinned at her. "Don't you see? The reason why Mesopotamia suddenly disappeared and why we were never able to find any traces of it was because they haven't even existed yet! This is time playing around with us!"  
  
Otaru turned to Hanagata. "He's getting even MORE vague..."  
  
The grinning blonde whirled on him. "WE destroy Mesopotamia! This entire empire will fall, very soon in fact! The reason why we've never been able to find any real evidence of the kingdom or the super city was because the remains haven't even existed. It falls in THIS time period, not the past!"  
  
Realization dawned on all their faces.  
  
"So we win?"  
  
"Yeah, It looks like it..."  
  
"We'll get through this then!"  
  
"Haha, then what have we got to worry about?"  
  
Naro's expression hardened. "Everything. That doesn't mean we'll all live through this! We can all still die. Just because this place gets destroyed doesn't mean we all magically make it."  
  
"No, but it's something to hope for, Naro." Cherry said softly. "And right now a little hope is what we need."  
  
Everyone nodded slowly. After a moment Faust turned to the Gray Eye.  
  
"Is there any way we could destroy this place?"  
  
Naro almost double taked. "This whole place? Jesus! Well... Apart from the reactor complex I can't think of any REAL way to take this city down. She's like a fortress. Now, wait. Why are we going to destroy this place anyway?"  
  
"Because Ghenna will go down in flames with it, as will most of the Gray Eye here!"  
  
Naro shook his head. "No on a minute, there's a lot of people on board this thing..."  
  
"It must be done. The reactor spaces you say? Yes... That will work perfectly! Take out the installation from the inside! Do you know how we would go about getting there?"  
  
"Err... they would probably be on our way to the hangar, but listen here Faust! I-"  
  
"Even better! Fate is with us today!"  
  
"No it's not!" Naro snarled. "We're going to kill millions! Are you out of your mind?!"  
  
"How else are we going to kill that man, Naro? You?! Do you really believe that you will be able to get past Leska? That you will even stand a chance? This is our only option."  
  
"But..." Naro's face began to twist. "It's a better option than taking out this entire city! We're going to kill millions Faust! Millions of people! I'm not willing to accept that!"  
  
"Naro, listen to me."  
  
"No, Faust wait..." Katsumi said interceding. "Naro has a point. Killing everyone every one in this station to wipe out one man isn't something any of us are going to go through with. However-"  
  
"I can't think of any better idea." The tall blonde said cutting her off.  
  
"However-"  
  
"Now wait a minute here!" Naro said folding his arms. "There's always a better idea."  
  
"But do we have the time to figure one out? No!"  
  
"However-"  
  
"Now listen here Faust! Just because it's the only idea doesn't make it a good one!"  
  
"HOWEVER-"  
  
"Why are you defending this place Naro? Who's side are you really on? You might be double crossing us, THAT'S why you don't want to flatten this place!"  
  
"Otaru!"  
  
"Now wait a god-damn minute! I am too on your side! How dare you say that about me!!"  
  
"Will you all SHUT UP!?!"  
  
Everyone fell silent and turned to Katsumi. She was fuming...  
  
"HOWEVER...If we knock out the coolant lines to the right reactors we could prolong the impending explosion. The entire station will be given a full alert. Everyone would have somewhere from 15 to 30 minutes before the melt down. This would give them time to evacuate."  
  
Naro shook his head. "What about Ghenna? He would escape along with the rest in that time. It doesn't guarantee anything."  
  
"No, but it will effectively kill him anyway. Where will he flee too? The surface? He's in your present now. He won't have any influence what so ever. What if he goes back to the past? His precious city is gone. He will have lost all of his power. A few stray Gray Eyes aren't going to rebuild his empire. He will be gone for good, effectively dead."  
  
"She has a point Naro. We'll be giving all the men and children on this platform a chance. Now unless you have a death wish and seek to fall along with him you can still face off with the man..." Faust leaned over and met Naro's eyes. "But otherwise follow us and go through with this plan. You know it's a good plan. We've wasted enough time here arguing. Don't you agree?"  
  
Naro took a deep breath and looked away. This plan was becoming worse and worse. However, Katsumi did have a point... He looked up and met the eyes of the rest of the women.  
  
"What do you all say? Are you good with this plan?"  
  
They exchanged glances briefly before answering.  
  
"If it gives everyone in the city the chance to escape and live..."  
  
"It's our best chance."  
  
"It's a good plan. So long as we can escape in time..."  
  
"Go for it Naro."  
  
The Gray Eye's face fell to the floor once more. Slowly he shook his head.   
  
"I don't like this. Not at all, but Faust is right. We've already spent far too much time here. We may have blown everything already. So... So I'll go with you on this call. Only because you women are for it as well. We'll ride the tram system all the way to the reactor spaces, blow coolant tubes three and four beyond recognition and then jet to the star port.  
  
"Now you all are aware that we're going to run into resistance once we reach that port, right? They'll be on to us once they learn we are the ones who damaged the reactor spaces. We're going to meet some heavy flack going through there. We still want to go through with this? Despite the risk? You all still want to this?"  
  
No one there, even Otaru, shook their head.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Lord Ghenna! Lord Ghenna!!"  
  
The old man looked up from his chair to the young Gray Eye approaching him.  
  
"What is it young one?"  
  
The younger man knelt and bent his head fully conscious of Leska standing behind his Lord reading his mind.  
  
"L-Lord! Someone's launched an attack on the reactor spaces!!"  
  
Ghenna arched an eyebrow. "The reactors? This is unexpected..."  
  
"Lord! You don't understand, they destroyed the coolant intakes and blew the emergency shut down slots! The reactors are going to melt down in less than 30 minutes!! The City is in DANGER!!"  
  
The tyrant rose from his seat. "What?! Impossible! We'll have to eject the reactor cores!"  
  
"No Lord! They-"  
  
"They've destroyed those too as well, Lord Ghenna." Leska said calmly. "They've thought of almost everything. How ever we have more than thirty minutes. We have more akin to an hour, unless something else goes wrong. This entire platform is built better than that."  
  
The young man looked up at the woman.  
  
"Regardless Miss Leska, this is a blow that neither of us expected. We will loose the city!"  
  
"No, we still have one thing on them. They've done no real harm to this station. Even if we do lose it, no major loss. Our space force is still fully intact. We will use those to re-insert our presence in our time."  
  
Ghenna frowned  
  
"But this will be a set back..."  
  
"Have no fear Lord. We will be alright. Should we move to the escape vessels?"  
  
"No..." The old man snarled. "We will stay here until I say so. I want all of them captured. Are they on their way to the star ports?"  
  
"Yes, Lord." The young man nodded.  
  
The old man turned back to Leska. "Leska, tell Nishan to get ready. Tell him they are on the way. I want them stopped."  
  
"Hai, Lord."  
  
  
Leska had heard Katsumi's thoughts...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The woman in question leaned against the rail of the tram with her arms wrapped around her body. She was breathing slowly, saying nothing, eyes downcast. Her mind turned slowly in her head. They'd crossed the point of no return now. The reactor coolant valves lay in shambles behind them. She had been instrumental in their destruction. Katsumi WAS a machinist. She'd been down below and had worked on those reactors many times in the past. They were no stranger to her.  
  
Now, she'd created a time bomb. In less than an hour they will explode and the entire city she spent the last twenty years of her life on would disappear. They'd blown all the safely locks and fused all the ejection cartridges. There was no way those 'bombs' were going to be prematurely launched. This city was doomed. It was a time bomb...  
  
Faust looked up at her when he her snort softly. "Something wrong Rose?"  
  
She shook her head slowly. "We've forgotten about Leska-chan..."  
  
Bloodberry looked up. "She'll be fine, onee-chan. She's a survivor. I doubt she'll stay onboard this place once she learns it will fall down around her ears."  
  
Naro looked up to her. "I wouldn't count on that Bloodberry. She's caught in a web. Her mind has been ensnared by Ghenna. If he so commands her she'll stay by his head to the very end. It's all we can do to pray and hope Ghenna allows her to leave either with him or without."  
  
Katsumi looked up. "Since when do you care about what happens to her?"  
  
The Gray Eye looked up and met the woman's eyes. "Since I learned that you and her sacrificed almost everything to send six women into an unknown future because you loved them. Since I learned that someone who had once been one of the most kind and wonderful person on the planet had been twisted and turned into a demon designed for only on purpose, to kill."  
  
"You know, Naro-"  
  
"Please! Katsumi! I don't care what you think of me anymore. All I'm trying to do now is get you all away from here. I'm tired of this. I'm trying to do the right thing here, I'm standing up for you and your sister. Why are you getting on my case, Katsumi? I thought you were on my side."  
  
The woman smirked.   
  
"You cut me off, Naro."  
  
The Gray Eye cocked any eyebrow. "You were going to say something nice about me?"  
  
Katsumi almost giggled. "Not a chance Gray Eye. But I will say this, If you pull this off and we all get out of here, I might be forced to change my opinion of you..."  
  
"We'll see..." he said scowling slightly. He turned and looked out the window of the tram. Down the way he could see a platform approaching.  
  
"There it is folks. Those are the star ports."  
  
"What?" Katsumi said walking forward. "I thought they were further down..."  
  
"Nope..." Naro said dryly. "Right there. They're right under the cap. ship platform."  
  
"How far from here?" Otaru said hoisting Lime's body up into his arms. The woman stirred slightly in his arms.  
  
"We've got maybe a hangar bay and a few garbage storage locks before we reach the Spera. It won't be too far. I think we should be more worried about..."  
  
"...The resistance we'll meet along the way. Yes, for once I agree with you Naro. They know we're coming this way, but I doubt there will be very much standing in our way. The Gray Eye dorms are all the way on the other side of the city."  
  
Naro looked up at her. "Reading my mind? Are you turning into Leska on us Katsumi?"  
  
The woman smiled down at him through the corner of her eye. "What ever makes you say that?"  
  
Faust rose and collected what little he had. "We're approaching the platform now..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The doors slowly slid open and each of the passengers onboard the tram stepped off. Cherry walked forward a bit looking around. Hanagata came up close behind her. They were standing on a landing platform that opened into a massive, ship filled Hangar Bay. All along the ceiling they could see ships of all sorts and sizes hanging from massive locks high, high up. All along the ground ships dotted floor of the bay. Huge gasoline tankers and fuel lines were strewn about. Some ships still had the fuel lines attached to their hulls. Hanagata whistled. There wasn't a person in sight.  
  
"Where did everyone go? I thought we were going to meet some resistance?"  
  
There was crash of glass as Faust punched into a fire emergency box. Reaching in he pulled out a long, slender machete. He twirled it once experimentally before sliding it into his belt. Bloodberry strode ahead a few feet and looked up and around once more.  
  
"You know I'm one who hates using generic lines and all... But I smell an ambush."  
  
Otaru narrowed his eyes. "You're right. It shouldn't be this deserted... Mitsurugi, take the lead! See if you can sniff out any ambushes for us!"  
  
"W-WHAT?!" Hana reeled back in shock. "O-Otaru-kun! Are you joking?!"  
  
Katsumi began to walk ahead. "I'll go."  
  
Naro frowned and followed behind her. "No you don't. I'll go."  
  
"What? I can do this."  
  
"No you're not. We can't risk losing you."  
  
"I'm not a little girl Naro! I am going to scout ahead."  
  
"Fine, but not alone you aren't. I'm coming with"  
  
The woman whirled on him. "Will you stop acting like I'm totally helpless! I don't need your help!"  
  
Naro's eyes went wide and he took a step back. "Whoa, whoa, I'm on your side! I'm just concerned about your safety, that's all!"  
  
Faust groaned and shook his head. "I'll go first then. Tiger, Panta, Luchs, will you stay close behind?"  
  
"You know we will, Faust-sama. You didn't even have to ask."  
  
  
Taking the lead the leader of Gartlant strode forward quickly and quietly; his hand resting on the hilt of the fire machete he had acquired. Behind him his maidens followed closely. Naro and Katsumi were behind them followed up by Otaru and his maidens. Hanagata hugged closely behind Otaru as they made their way deeper into the empty hangar.  
  
In his arms Lime stirred once more. Cherry looked over and softy stroked her sister's cheek.  
  
"Something is happening again Otaru. It looks like she may wake up soon..."  
  
"I hope so Cherry..." He said softly, looking at her face. "I pray she's going to be ok..."  
  
  
As they made their way through the hangar they heard nothing and saw no one. The entire bay was almost eerily quiet. There was no one to be seen about the whole place. Finally they came upon the air lock on the far side. Taking full caution Faust opened the lock and stepped in. Everyone filed through and as Hanagata brought up the rear he remarked...  
  
"Wow, I'm surprised! I was sure we were going to be ambushed in there..."  
  
Naro grinned. "It's refreshing when something goes our way for once. Still, I wanna know where the crew inside of there went..."  
  
They were all in a small room with two doors on each side, each with a large window in them. As the one they had just stepped through closed, there was a hissing noise as the air lock did its thing.  
  
"Where have we got to go to next Naro?" Tiger asked.  
  
"Some empty storage bays and a few more of these air locks and then we're home free."  
  
Cherry smiled. "Sounds fine to me!"  
  
"Indeed." Faust replied. "I don't think we have very much time left, do we Katsumi?"  
  
The blonde woman shook her head slowly. "We're down to our last twenty minutes I'm guessing. Keep in mind I may be wrong now, but I'm sure we have at least twenty more minutes left."  
  
Bloodberry yawned as she waited for the airlock. "Anyone mind if I put a question out here? If the reactors are in danger of going off, how come we haven't heard any alarms? We haven't heard anything what so ever."  
  
"The reactors are still moderately cool. The alarms will go off when they rise above critical levels. That will be our ten minute warning."  
  
The woman with the fiery hair narrowed her eyes. "Then why was last airlock we were in deserted? It looked like who ever was there left in a big hurry. If they didn't know the reactors were going to blow, what scared them off?"  
  
Everyone exchanged glances slowly. She had a point...  
  
Suddenly the other airlock door slid open. The bay ahead of them appeared seemingly abandoned as well...  
  
Lime cried out softly and stirred once more in Otaru's arms. One by one they all filed into the storage bay...  
  
  
"AMBUSH!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Aisha stood once more in the darkness. One more, on each side of her stood good and evil. Life and death. Each side still promised her the happiness she desired. Each side still sought for control.   
  
"...Lime..."  
  
"...Aisha..."  
  
The maiden looked up. "...Yes?"  
  
Side by side the Angel and the Demon knelt. They spoke in unison. The fiery-eyed demon from her dreams and the angelic vision of herself spoke slowly and steadily.  
  
"It is time Lime/Aisha. It is time for you to decide. Your future has arrived..."  
  
Slowly the young maiden's mouth moved.  
  
"...Future..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Faust's machete clashed with the energy saber of a wild eyed Gray Eye. The little bugger was strength and was trying to overpower the blonde man. In a flash Faust pushed the Gray Eye back, grabbed him by his clothes and snapped him around giving him a solid blow to the head. Tossing the senseless soldier aside Faust turned to the newest threat.   
  
They had been ambushed by a half a styre of infantry (approx. 12 men) and three Gray Eyes. Otaru, Hanagata and Katsumi stayed to the side and did their best to keep away from the fighting. None of them had any training near enough to that of the Gray Eyes and decided against leaping into the fray and running into one of them. Lime lay behind all of them in front of a huge scrap storage bin. Inside lay tons and tons of loose scrap metal that had been prepped to be recycled.  
  
Naro did his best to keep the remaining two Gray Eye at bay, but was starting to become overwhelmed. They weren't Legionnaires, but they were Gray Eye and they were skilled. One was speed while the other was sensor. Slapping the quick one away with his drawn energy saber he swung around to meet the combat one. He swung and their blades clashed momentarily. Their Gray Eyes met briefly.  
  
"...Damn...it..."   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Is it that time already?"  
  
"Yes Lime. The time has come." They replied. "You are indecisive yet..."  
  
"Open your eyes." The Angelic one said softly.  
  
Slowly Lime did so.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru didn't notice when Lime's eyes slowly flickered open. He was engaged with one of the infantry men. His extended Jutte was locked up solid with the soldier's katana. Hanagata and Katsumi were preoccupied with problems of their own. Lime's head shifted slowly as she looked impassively up at her Otaru.  
  
"See Lime," The Angel spoke. "He is fighting for you! Join him!"  
  
"See Lime," The Demon spoke. "He is fighting for himself, not you. Joining him will mean suffering again..."  
  
Lime blinked slowly on the floor. Her mouth slowly moved.  
  
"...I loved him once...I really thought I did..."  
  
The Angel's voice became much softer and more distant very suddenly. It was starting to fade. "You still do Lime! Look inside your heart! You still love him."  
  
The Demon's voice became louder very suddenly. It was becoming overpowering. "He took advantage of that love! He took advantage of you!! See how he fights only for himself! He's fighting for his own safety, not yours. He doesn't care about you Lime!"  
  
Slowly the maidens lips moved. "Yes...Aisha..."  
  
The other voice (who ever that had been) was rapidly fading away. It was disappearing inside Lime's heart. "...Lime! You don't understand... Aisha isn't that evil creature... Aisha isn't that demon... Aisha loves... She's caring, Lime... You don't understand... Aisha is..."  
  
The voice was all but gone now, drowned out by the fiery-eyed Demon.  
  
"Look at him Lime! Look at him fight for himself. Look at the way he thinks and acts for his own safety. He's abandoned you! He left you Lime!"  
  
Otaru's back was to the maiden and he didn't see her eyes begin to harden or her face fall into a scowl. A red haze began to fall over the maiden's eyes. She was tired of being betrayed. She was tired of having her heart abused time and time again. This time was the last time. She'd tried to be kind. She'd tried to be generous. She'd tried love and hope for love in return. But every time she tried someone took advantage of that love. Some one broke her heart and betrayed her... She was tired. She was at the breaking point. When the second man she'd ever loved turned his back on her, that was it.  
  
The little voice had all but faded now. The demon that Lime had embraced held her tightly.   
  
"KILL HIM LIME! DESTROY HIM!! MAKE HIM FEEL THE PAIN HE FORCED UPON YOU!!"  
  
Slowly the maiden's mouth moved.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"NARO!!" The Legionnaire turned. A fourth Gray Eye coming from seemingly no where had Katsumi cornered between the scrap bin and outer door of the storage bay. Swatting her feeble blows aside the Gray Eye connected a short, powerful jab to her head. With a shirt cry she collapsed to his feet.  
  
"Katsumi!!!" Naro, turned and started to run toward the woman when he felt something grab him by the back of his collar. He was pulled backwards and lost his balance falling to the floor hard. He looked up, slightly dazed, to see the Gray Eye he had been battling sneering down onto him.  
  
"Where are you going, Oh Keinaro?"  
  
With a shriek the other Gray Eye hoisted Katsumi up onto his shoulders. He turned and headed for the airlock not five feet away. As Naro tried to scramble onto his feet the Gray Eyes that had been fighting him moments before pinned the man to the floor.  
  
"Do you want her back, Naro?" the second Gray Eye jeered.  
  
With a snarl Tiger leaped in front of he Gray Eye holding Katsumi. With an almost careless swipe of his hand he knocked the poor maiden aside like a rag doll.  
  
"Take her back from us Naro!" The first one said dropping a key card attached to a chain onto the Gray Eye. "Lord Ghenna saw all of this. He saw through your lies. Now he sits in wait for you. Follow us if you want her. Use the vacuum tubes. We'll see you in his Lord's chambers!"   
  
With a sinuous laughter the two Gray Eye leaped up and away from Naro, joining their friend in the waiting airlock. Katsumi began to yell.  
  
"Get them away from here Naro!! Just take them all and go!! I-I'll be all right, just run!! Please, everyone!!"  
  
The big Gray Eye smiled to Naro. "That's right, run. Run away. If you value your life you will run. If you value hers, we'll be in Lord Ghenna's chambers..."  
  
And with that the Airlock slammed shut. Naro barely had time to react as a soldier came up from behind and tried to attack the Gray Eye.  
  
  
'Katsumi.'  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"RISE NOW, LIME. RISE AND TAKE BACK THAT WHICH HE STOLE FROM YOU!"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
The maiden slowly stirred. Suddenly a noise came from above. She slowly looked up and saw a figure perched on top of the storage bin. It seemed to blend in with the darkness above. It's eyes were the only thing that made it stand out. They were gray and cold.  
  
Otaru finally dispatched the soldier with a solid blow to his head. He turned just in time to see the airlock with Katsumi in it close.  
  
"Shit! Katsumi!!" He cried out, but it was too late. She was already gone. He cursed below his breath. Katsumi! They'd lost her!! The first real fight they get into and the enemy captures her...  
  
He would have continued swearing had he not heard the same noise Lime did from up above. He raised his head and peered into the darkness. Some one was up there, he could barely see their eyes... and they were gray!!  
  
With a sudden flash the person ignited an every saber and leaped into the air. The nimble man twisted himself in the air and plunged his blade downwards... right for Lime's prone body.  
  
The maiden's eyes shot wide open. The mist that had clouded her vision parted as she realized something. Deep inside of her heart the Demon that she embraced realized the same thing...  
  
  
...He was striking for her! She was going to die!  
  
  
It was all she could do to watch the Gray Eye's blade fall closer and closer to her prone body. Her body was slowly coming alive once more but it was not fast enough... Feebly, she shook her head.   
  
"N-no...please..."  
  
  
Bloodberry finished off one of the last guards only to turn and see the Gray Eye falling towards Lime. She barely had any time to react.  
  
"L-LIME!!!"  
  
  
The maiden with the blue hair and the jade eyes closed them and did her best to turn away. This was it... She never did get that happiness she so sought...  
  
  
There was a heavy rush of wind and the terrible sound of flesh and bone being pierced followed by a terrible scream.   
  
When Lime opened her eyes, she realized it wasn't she who had been screaming...  
  
  
Bloodberry paled...  
  
"No..."  
  
  
Kneeling over her body, Otaru smiled weakly to his maiden. Out of his shoulder the crimson energy blade protruded stopping only inches from Lime's belly. In his left hand he gripped the blade preventing it from descending any further.  
  
"L-Lime..." The young man said slowly. His face, while in great pain, softened. "You're awake."  
  
The maiden blinked numbly for a second. Otaru had saved her. He leaped in between the Gray Eye's blade and her body. He stopped the blade with his own body.  
  
Something wet began to drip onto her exposed belly. She looked down and saw tiny beads of crimson collecting themselves on her. Further up, she could see similar beads, only these were clear, being absorbed into the fabric of her clothing.  
  
  
Otaru did his best to smile through his tears. "You're all right Lime... You're all right..."  
  
  
With a scream Bloodberry charged. The Gray Eye saw her come and wordlessly pulled the blade free from Otaru's body. The young man audibly grunted and his blood began to run free onto the maiden below. Lunging at the fiery haired woman the Gray Eye and Bloodberry clashed.  
  
  
Finally Otaru collapsed onto Lime's body. His breathing was heavy and there was blood spilling everywhere. As the maiden sat up she could feel Otaru's arms wrapping themselves around her.   
  
"Lime..." He said slowly. "Oh, Lime... I was so scared... I tried to come back to you... I tried to help you... but I couldn't..."  
  
The last of the maidens dispatched with the soldiers and turned to Bloodberry's battle with the Gray Eye. Faust discarded his machete and picked up on of the knives the Gray Eyes that had previously been here discarded. He pressed the small button and the energy saber formed up. Naro stepped back unaware of Otaru and Lime. Hanagata was all the way on the other side of the room and couldn't get back over...  
  
"...I'm sorry Lime... I'm sorry for everything... All the times I yelled at you... All the times threatened you... All the times I made you feel sad... I had no right Lime... I had no right..."  
  
Lime could feel Otaru's body shake and convulse as he began to sob against her.   
  
"I don't ever want you to go away Lime... I've never want to be without you... I was so scared... I thought I'd lost you... I thought I'd let you go with out... with out ever..."  
  
Slowly Lime reached up and brushed her master's hair aside. He swallowed painfully and groaned against the wound in his shoulder.  
  
"I never told you I loved you... I've never told you I love you Lime..."  
  
He blinked slowly and reached up with his good arm. His hand traced along her cheek softly and he smiled once more. His deep blue eyes met those vast jade ones and once again he saw the marionette he'd once found so long ago. Once again he found the innocent woman who'd become everything to him. Leaning forward he kissed her gently on the cheek.  
  
"I love you Lime."  
  
  
Cherry dove by Lime's side and picked up her master right out of her sister's arms.  
  
"Otaru-sama!! Otaru-sama, you've been hurt!!"  
  
Naro turned upon hearing Cherry's cries and saw Otaru laying there in Cherry's arms.  
  
"Otaru!!"  
  
He ran over and knelt by the woman's side.  
  
"Cherry, where..."  
  
"Oh, Lord! There's blood everywhere! Where..."  
  
"What is wrong with Otaru?"  
  
"Faust-sama!! Otaru's been stabbed!!"  
  
"What?? Where?!"  
  
  
With a painful groan Bloodberry toppled. The Gray Eye regarded her cooly and waited for her to rise once more.  
  
Hanagata and the other three maidens ran back and forth across the other end of the cargo bay. They couldn't cross over because of Bloodberry's fight with the Gray Eye.  
  
"Oh no..." Hanagata whimpered. "Otaru... Hold on Otaru!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime gently reached up and touched her cheek where Otaru had gently stroked her. It was wet... Her lower lip began to quiver and her eyes began to fill once more. She traced her fingers along her cheek and pulled away looking at them. Her fingertips were red. They were colored in Otaru's blood.  
  
'Blood he shed for you...'  
  
Suddenly the Angel that had faded away was suddenly back, her voice becoming louder and louder. This time she was not alone though. Someone else's voice now rang alongside her's...  
  
  
'You gotta remember your love for him Lime...'  
  
'You gotta remember your feelings you feel for him right now.'  
  
  
It was Naro's. So far distant in her past that moment seemed. That night she returned carrying the maiden's heart...  
  
'He loves you, Lime.'  
  
'That boy loves you deeply.'  
  
'Just remember that he'll always love you, no matter where you are, and that he'll do everything in his power to keep you safe and by his side. Where ever you may go he will follow. Do you understand, Lime? ...Remember to always remember him. Keep him close to your heart and you'll pull through.'  
  
'Promise?'  
  
  
Lime blinked back the impending tears and did her best to wipe her eyes dry. She'd promised him. She promised that she would always remember that love. She gave him her word... And she'd broken it. At the first sign of trouble she'd broken it.   
  
Pulling her hands away she saw more of Otaru's blood on them. He'd bled to save her. Otaru'd bled to keep Lime alive... And Lime had, not seconds before, been planning on murdering him...  
  
Shame fell onto the maiden's shoulders. Shame and guilt. No one there noticed when Lime began to sob. Otaru was gritting his teeth against the pain as Faust and Naro did their best to stop his bleeding which wasn't nearly as bad as it first looked. Cherry was preoccupied with Otaru. Tiger, Panta, and Luchs were on the other side of the storage lock and Bloodberry had her hands full with the Gray Eye. No one noticed her.  
  
  
No one except that little Angel deep inside herself.  
  
  
"Lime! Understand Lime! You are not something totally separate from Aisha. You and Aisha are not two separate and distinct individuals! You cannot live with out her and she cannot live with out you any more. You are both one in the same Lime. You are Aisha! You are Lime! You two never split. She just changed. She just evolved. You are still Aisha, Lime! You are still that woman who fought so long ago to find her happiness!! Don't let that place in your heart where you put all your bad feelings and emotions take over your true self! Don't let it destroy what you have gained."  
  
The demon began to yell now, but it's voice was fast becoming faded.  
  
"No! You are damming her! Lime! You will die with out me! You cannot survive..."  
  
The Angel in her heart seemed to spread its wings and finally over powered the other voice.  
  
"Don't let it fool you Lime! Choose to remember, now everything you pushed away! Remember Kaiser! Remember Satomi! Remember Aiko! Remember Katsumi and Leska!! Remember everyone and everything Lime!! Open your mind!! Aisha fought to find her happiness and she did!! Look at him, Lime! Look at Otaru! He is the happiness you sought to find!! He is what you've fought so hard to live for. He is what Kaiser died for.  
  
"Remember Lime! You are a Gray Eye as well! You can fight! Go out there, now! Fight for your happiness! Don't let anyone or anything hurt him anymore!! Defend him, Lime! This is your chance!! Dammed be to your own safety! Go!!!"  
  
  
The maiden's eyes hardened and her tears dried. Looking up she saw the Gray Eye laying waste to Bloodberry. He was the same one who stabbed Otaru, the blood was still all over the hilt of the energy weapon. Suddenly the red mists that had clouded her vision once before rose once more. Her eyes seemed to alight with fire. Reaching out she grabbed Otaru's fallen Jutte. Slowly she stood and locked on to the Gray Eye standing over her sister.  
  
"You hurt my Otaru..." she said slowly. Everyone and everything seemed to stop. The Gray Eye turned and faced Lime. Naro, Faust, Otaru and all her sisters looked up at her. Pressing the button on the hilt of her weapon the Jutte extended outward.  
  
"You hurt my OTARU!!" She began to scream. Memories from deep within her mind began to surface. She knew how to fight. She knew how to run. She knew how to kill...  
  
"No one hurts him... NO ONE!!"  
  
With a scream and a charge Lime engaged the Gray Eye. Her eyes, like two jade embers burned brightly in their sockets. He'd hurt her happiness. He wounded her joy. Now he will pay.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime moved like lightning across the storage area. Never in his entire life did Faust ever see a single soul move that quickly. She was like a blur. In and out, up and around, Lime hit and slammed the Gray Eye with everything she had moving as fast as her body would take her. Hanagata took a step back and shook his head slowly. He'd never seen Lime angry before... This was almost terrible...  
  
"YEEEEAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!  
  
Sparks flew as the Gray Eye moved just as swiftly as Lime to block and parry her blows. It was almost as if the two were dancing. Lime would come in and swing around and in a shower of sparks the two would twirl and strike and parry and lunge and then they would break apart once more. The Gray Eye Lime was fighting was based upon speed, and he had trained his system well. Lime found this no easy fight. The man was able to match her lighting fast speed with his lightning fast reflexes. Every time Lime would strike he would be there with his blade drawn and in the path of her blow.  
  
The Gray Eye found this to be no easy fight as well. Unlike her inept sisters, Lime was a match for his skill. While he had the greater reflexes and was naturally stronger, Lime had the heart and spirit. These two things made up the difference between the two fighters. He could tell things were going to get very ugly...  
  
  
Otaru did his best to sit up. Lime... She was fighting... Naro did his best to hold Otaru down. They were almost done patching him up. He was going to be ok.  
  
"Shit!" Naro cursed over to Faust. "Why doesn't someone get in there and help her?!"  
  
Faust shook his head slowly. "We can't Naro. This is her fight. None of us have the right to interfere. This is a matter of pride and vengeance."  
  
Otaru shook his head... "Lime..."  
  
  
Energy met hardened steel time and again. Swinging around, slicing up, cleaving the air, the combatants fought ferociously. Neither side was willing to give in to the other. Neither side was willing to lose. Lime, like a bolt of lighting shooting across the room, and the Gray Eye, standing solid like a rock defiantly against the elements, danced and moved all around the cargo bay.  
  
The Gray Eye struck down and Lime jumped out of the way leaving the Gray Eye to scar the storage container that had been behind her. Lime lashed out with the Jutte and the Gray Eye parried with a solid return blow. Round and round they went. Their wicked dance contorted and spun wildly around and about the scattered containers. Everyone did their best to stay out of the way of the combatants. Lime did her best to keep the warrior away from Otaru.  
  
After some time both combatants began to show signs of fatigue. It became obvious her anger and fear of losing Otaru were fueling Lime. It became obvious that only his skill and his loyalty to his Lord fueled the Gray Eye.  
  
Lime was ashamed. Every once and a while someone saw a small shard of crystal run from her eye. It always caught the light as it fell and splashed against the ground. The Gray Eye caught every one that poured forth. Lime was deeply ashamed.  
  
Her Otaru. She'd very nearly killed her own Otaru. The black little thought had been in her head. She'd embraced the idea. She had been only seconds away from murdering him. Seconds away from heading down that path. Seconds away from losing her one and true.  
  
Lime made a promise to Naro. He asked her that no matter what would happen she would remember the love she felt for him at that very moment. It had been overpowering. Every thought, every word, every action had been for him. He'd been the focal point of her entire life. Her world needed only Otaru and everything would have been happy. When he was by her side warm feelings rose from the depths of herself. When he smiled to her, she almost went dizzy from joy. When he held her hand, or made her feel special in that way, it brought tears to her eyes that rose from the depths of her heart.  
  
But she'd done something terrible. An impure thought, a darkness from deep within her soul, something she never knew even existed within herself tempted her and almost took her over. It was so evil. It was so black. It scared her so badly.  
  
She had been wrong. From almost the start she had been wrong. The demon of her dreams, that fiery eyed creature, the dark being that she had long since feared hadn't been Ghenna. Ghenna wasn't the source of all her fear and dread. It wasn't Kisa either. The fat little man hadn't been the devil seeking her destruction.   
  
No...The demon had been herself. It had been her own heart, her own soul. Everything dark and monstrous she'd ever thought of, ever conceived, ever done came from that little dark corner. It had been there since the beginning seeking release. It wanted, from the very moment she'd opened her eyes, to be let out. Aisha had lived a happy joyous life and this little creature dwelled in her trapped with no way out. It began to grow, ever so slowly. Every time Aisha had been annoyed, or angry or sad in those first months it grew.   
  
  
Then Kaiser came  
  
  
Kaiser... He'd been the source of all her pain and suffering in the beginning. When Aisha had received the warning in her dream she saw Kaiser and she saw the demon. The demon stopped when Kaiser was there. It seemed to hold off and wait while the Arch-Bishop had been around. Kaiser told her that it would be please if she defeated him and later on Aisha had thought he had alluded to Ghenna.  
  
But the creature that had been satisfied had been the demon living in Aisha's heart. It had grown and upon release in Aisha's pain and suffering at the hands of Kaiser in that duel it became happy and crawled back into its cave deep in her heart. If it hadn't had this release, it would have grown to the point of consuming Aisha whole. It would have exploded outwards violently, more than likely killing all her sisters.  
  
However that never came to pass. After the fight Aisha became happy once more. Her life soared from that point. Kaiser took care of her and made her smile with him. The demon grew little in this time. Aisha's bliss had been pure. It had nothing too feed off of.  
  
But then her world came to an end. Sold to Kisa, the monster began to grow once more, this time with tremendous and terrible speed. Every time it rose from the depths to influence her actions and guide her mind she did her best to suppress it. She tried to hold back those feelings of exploding or of giving in to Kisa. Finally, one long and terrible day, she listened to the dark little voice in her ear. So broken and battered, the little monster had grown so large that Aisha's will fell to it. It had told her to succumb to Kisa. To allow him to break her. Wasn't that what she really wanted?  
  
Once more the monster, pleased at its work, crawled back into Aisha's heart. The little demon had guided Aisha in the direction it wanted her to go and she followed. It sustained it's release and fell into pleasure once more.  
  
  
Then Kisa died...Then Kaiser.  
  
  
Aisha's world all but died. The monster almost exploded inside her. But instead of given a chance to mourn properly and to let the evils of her heart roll their way down her cheeks as tears, she was shot and knocked out. The time travel was what really did the most damage to Lime. The shock and pain of being tossed to and fro through the rivers and currents of time suppressed the demon, despite it's size, and locked it away. Lime pushed the bad memories away from her thoughts. She wanted to be happy, and they were making her sad. She denied knowing anything about the past. She denied knowing anything about her origins. Eventually, she came to believe her own lie. With the pain pushed back and the creature locked tightly away Lime started live and act and became what she most sought.  
  
  
Happy.  
  
  
But the demon didn't just go away. It grew. As Aisha bore the pain and sadness of Otaru's anger she swallowed it and fed it to the little creature staying deep inside her. It sat in her heart and grew to terrible proportions. When Naro betrayed her, the lock that time had placed on the demon's cell broke and out free came the evil.   
  
This time it was greater than her innocence. It grew larger than her innocence, it grew larger than her happiness. The fiery-eyed demon that she feared had almost consumed her.  
  
All Lime wanted ever was happiness, and in this quest she'd forgotten her love for Otaru and almost allowed the evil that she had deep within herself to take that man away from her forever. She was ashamed. She loved Otaru. Her heart had told her that. The angel on her shoulder told her that. Lime loved Otaru with near every fiber in her being and she was ashamed because of that. The man she loved she'd almost destroyed. She'd allowed the devil to make her forget that love she bore for him.  
  
Otaru nearly killed himself for her. He'd nearly lost his life protecting the jade-eyed woman. He'd leapt between a blade of fire and her body. He'd bled onto her, she tears onto her, poured his heart onto her...  
  
  
'...I'm sorry Lime... I'm sorry for everything...'  
  
  
'I don't ever want you to go away Lime... I've never want to be without you... I was so scared... I thought I'd lost you... I thought I'd let you go with out...'  
  
  
'...I love you Lime...'  
  
  
  
The maiden's eyes hardened.   
  
  
'...I love you Lime...'  
  
  
The tears began to drip more and more freely. Her face became fierce. Softly she began speak...  
  
  
"...He loves me. Otaru loves me. My Otaru cares for me. Even if I forgot, he still loves me. He loves me... He smiled for me, he laughed for me, he frowned for me, he cried for me, he bled for me! I forgot and he bled for me..."  
  
  
She grit her teeth and her attacks began to grow in their ferocity. With a snarl she struck out savagely at the Gray Eye that had caused her heart to bleed. The weapons began to sing against one another once more. The Gray Eye found himself being pushed back. The woman had gotten some second wind or something. She was muttering something to herself, something he couldn't hear.  
  
  
"He bled and I wanted to kill him. He bled for me even when I wanted to kill him..."  
  
Suddenly she became fast and furoious. The Gray Eye was caught completely off guard at Lime's sudden out burst. She began to yell...  
  
"He loves me! Despite myself, he still loves me!! He loves Lime!! I almost did something terrible and he Still Loves Me!!"  
  
Rain drop as a numerous as a typhoon's and as bitter as the oceans fell from Lime's Eyes in that moment. She was facing the demon inside her. She was beginning to face her past.  
  
"I'm only a MACHINE!! A lousy MACHINE!!" She screamed savagely at the warrior before her. "And he almost DIED for me!! He almost died for a machine!! He almost died! He almost died! He almost DIIIEED!!!"  
  
  
With a powerful uppercut she snapped the energy blade out of the hands of the Gray Eyes and into the air. Pinning him against the wall she held the point of the jutte only centimeters from his throat. The warrior's eyes were in shock. How the hell?!  
  
Lime quivered visibly. Her entire body shook as she sobbed. Her hard eyes burned into the gray ones of her enemy. The soldier raised his hands and let his shoulders drop. She'd won. It was her will now. Calmly he met her eyes and nodded once. If this was woman, then quite indeed did man make a suitable partner...  
  
  
Otaru groaned as he sat up slowly. Lime had won! She was still alive! But...  
  
He narrowed his eyes. But there was something wrong... Lime was quivering. He could see her eyes. They radiated hatred. Otaru's mind began to turn. She was going to kill that man!  
  
  
The Gray Eye closed his eyes and waited. She was going to kill him...  
  
  
Lime's hateful eyes burned. The jutte inched closer and closer to the man who'd hurt the most precious thing in her life. She was going to kill him...  
  
  
She stopped when a voice drifted softly to her ears.  
  
  
"Lime..." Otaru said softly. "Don't... Let it go..."  
  
  
Sniffing she turned her head.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
"Don't kill him Lime. You've done enough. Please..."  
  
  
The warrior opened his gray eyes when he heard the sound of metal bouncing against metal. Looking down he saw the jutte dropped on the cargo room floor. Lime was holding Otaru, her face was buried in his clothes.  
  
"I love you Otaru!" She cried out against her tears. "I love you! I love you..."  
  
The young man smiled and pulled the woman free from his clothes. Cupping her soft face in his hands he smiled.   
  
"You were wrong Lime. I don't love a machine. I've never loved a machine. I loved a woman. I always have, and now I always will..."  
  
Despite her best Lime fell apart right then and there. She gripped Otaru tightly and became undone right in his arms. Slowly Bloodberry and Cherry knelt at Otaru's side. He looked up and read their faces. Smiling he chuckled.  
  
"You three misunderstand. I've never loved machines you know. I've loved women, since the first day I saw you all, I've loved women. Three sweet and tender ones."  
  
The two maiden's broke out into smiles and leaped onto Otaru, holding him as tightly as Lime was.  
  
"Otaru... Otaru..."  
  
"Otaru-sama! Thank you!"  
  
Naro found himself smiling slightly. This really was sweet. Beside himself Hanagata was scowling, but holding himself back anyway. This was their moment... Panta, Tiger and Luchs all smiled and Faust nodded once. It was the leader of Gartlant that ended up breaking that moment.  
  
"We need to go. Those reactors will go up any time now. We need to escape."  
  
Fingering the key card Naro shook his head.  
  
"You all will, but I wont."  
  
"What?" Hana snapped. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
The Gray Eye turned and started to walk back to the air lock door.  
  
"I need to go. Katsumi was taken away."  
  
"Shit!" Tiger swore and turned away. That was right! They'd frigging forgot about their own sister!  
  
"Dammit!" Otaru said shaking his head slowly. "W-where'd they take her?"  
  
The Gray Eye paused before answering. "Ghenna's chambers... They want me to follow."  
  
Faust blinked. "His chambers? W-why..."  
  
"He has a master control room up there. He can control the whole station from that place."  
  
"It's at the top of Gheddon! How do you plan on getting all the way there before the reactors blow?"  
  
Naro raised the key card. "The vacuum tubes."  
  
Bloodberry looked up from Otaru. "The what?"  
  
"Vacuum tubes. They're a high speed transport system. I'll be able to travel from the tram dock to Ghenna's chambers in less than five minutes."  
  
"Oh..." Hanagata said slowly. "Well... If they're so fast... How come we didn't use those in the first place to get to the hangars!?"  
  
"You need a key card." Naro raised the little plastic piece up. "You can't access them without this. Besides, it's one person at a time on those things. With our numbers it was faster to use the tram."  
  
Satomi stood up and shook her head. "No no, now wait a second. You're not going to go off and pull one of those 'hero' stunts are you?! We need you here Naro! You need to lead us out!"  
  
"Nah... Faust can do that for you. Two more airlocks down and there will sit the Spera. Ride her out and away before the blast."  
  
"What about yourself?!"  
  
Naro gave her a thin grin. "We'll find a way out, don't worry."  
  
"Who's going to pilot the Spera?"  
  
"Faust can. If not him, it think between Cherry and Luchs they'll have that thing figured out in no time."  
  
"No! Nononononono!" Bloodberry scowled as she rose. "You can't just walk away like this!! You're leaving us alone in this place!!"  
  
"I need to get Katsumi back!"  
  
"Are you an IDIOT!!" she began to yell. "Naro, look who has her!! Leska!! Now if she's as powerful as you say she is, then you don't stand a chance!"  
  
"I'm not being a hero, Bloodberry-"  
  
"You're lying Naro! We need you with us. I want Katsumi to be at our sides right now as well but she isn't. I'm not being cold or cruel, I'm being reasonable! We don't have the time left anymore. If you go off you risk dying when those reactors blow! You need to stay by our side. Katsumi knew that. That's why she told you to go on without her."  
  
"That's why I'm not going. You can take care of yourselves from here on out. Our great plan has been reduced to the original. Do you believe in fate? I do. I think mother fate is telling me something. I've got to go one step above what Kaiser did. I'm not only going to free you all, but I am going to kill he that will pursue you when I do. I'm not going to gamble that Ghenna will fall out of power when this station collapses.   
  
"I'm going now. Through those airlocks and a few more storage rooms lies the Spera. Board her, open the outer door and leave. Just be careful to make sure you've sealed the ship tightly before you unseal the doors. You'll get sucked out into space. We're in a very high orbit around Terra II, the atmosphere is down below us. Don't open the outer doors on any of the storage rooms either. Take my word for it, space is as cold as it is lonely."  
  
Bloodberry watched him walk off and scowled. "You're trying to be a hero."  
  
Naro smiled. "Maybe I am... I'm trusting in fate on this one. I am not going to leave anyone behind, and I'm going to kill the devil..."  
  
Lime sniffed. "What do we do about the Gray Eye?"  
  
"What Gray Eye?" he said slowly.  
  
Turning where the warrior Gray Eye once stood everyone saw. He wasn't there anymore. He was no where to be seen.  
  
Naro opened the airlock and turned giving everyone a cocky smile.   
  
"Sayonara."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
After the door locked shut Tiger turned to Faust. "Lord... Why didn't you try and stop him? He's committing suicide."  
  
The blonde man shook his head and helped Otaru onto his feet.  
  
"I believe in fate as well."  
  
"Otaru?"  
  
The wounded man smiled as he leaned against his maidens for support. Lime held him tightly up.  
  
"He's a fool and an idiot, but if I wasn't hurt like this I would be doing the exact same thing he is doing. I guess that makes us both fools and idiots but I have this belief; You never leave someone behind. You always gotta try and save everyone. That's what I believe anyway... Let's get to the Spera."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro sat silently in the tram. It was carrying him further down the track to the station at the end of the rail. From there he would be able to use the vacuum system to reach Ghenna's chambers and, hopefully, kill him before the reactors blow.  
  
He leaned back and thought about what Bloodberry said. Impossible odds, certain death, it sounded like a typical hero's predicament cliché. Naro didn't want to be a hero though. He didn't want to become a savior for the land. It just wasn't something he desired to be.  
  
"Then what the hell am I doing here?" he asked himself. "Saving Katsumi?"  
  
He didn't really even like her that much. She was as pretty as the others (even more so in some areas) but her personality turned Naro off. He wasn't sure what exactly about it that it was, but there was something subtle in there that made Naro turn away whenever he spoke with her. Maybe it was her tone of voice...   
  
"If I don't like her... Why am I doing this? Why am I going back?"  
  
The answer escaped him all the way to the tram station and into the vacuum tubes.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Faust cried out in pain and dropped to one knee.  
  
"Dammit!" he cursed silently. One more airlock and they would be at the Spera. One more and they would have been home free.  
  
Tiger and her sisters ran to Faust and dropped to his side.  
  
"Faust-sama!!"  
  
"Lord!!"  
  
"Faust!!"  
  
The blonde man groaned and held his side. There was a deep and burnt groove running along his rib.   
  
"Energy fire..." he said slowly. "I'll be fine." He looked up and raised his voice. Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry circled around Otaru and raised their fists.  
  
"Who's there?! Who's out there?! Come out now!!"  
  
At first there was silence. Only the slow rumble of the engines could be heard. Lime suddenly gasped. There, standing half hidden in the shadows, was the biggest Gray Eye she had ever seen. He looked like a match even for Kaiser. He dropped the rifle he was holding and strode boldly into the light and smiled. Lime's eyes went wide with fear. She could recognize the insignia on his collar. Bloodberry, Cherry, Panta, Luchs and the others all saw the same thing and became pale.   
  
  
He was a Bishop. He went by the name Nishan.  
  
  
"So close..." Faust said slowly. "Can you six kill him? I'm out of the game as is Otaru."  
  
Lime's expression began to harden. The bishop was standing in the way of her happiness. It wasn't going to take six to kill him. She reached for her belt and felt around for Otaru's jutte. She looked down with shock as she felt nothing.   
  
"What?" she said to herself. Cherry looked over.  
  
"Onee-chan? What's the matter?"  
  
Lime swallowed slowly. "I left Otaru's weapon on the floor of the other room. I never picked it up."  
  
Bloodberry strode forward and smiled. "I guess I'm in for a challenge. You're the last thing between the ship and us, ne?"  
  
The Bishop laughed. "You were ripped up by that puny little Gray Eye. Look at yourself, bloody and bruised. Your body has become a punching bag and you still challenge me?"  
  
The cocky woman spat onto the ground. "You idiots all talk the same. Same goddammed thing every time we converse. A challenge strung into a question. I'm getting tired of it."  
  
Smiling the Bishop strode forward. "You're mocking me? Hahaha!! You are stupid woman. You are nothing compared to me. I will destroy you and-"  
  
Tiger, Luchs and Panta strode forward. "She's right. Will you just shut up! You're such a cliché and we're tired of it. Raise your fists, we're attacking!"  
  
The Bishop was speechless for the last moment he had before the six women closed in on him.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro stepped onto the platform leading into Ghenna's chambers and slowly made his way forward. This was it. He smiled. This was it and he still didn't know why he was here...  
  
The door into the chambers opened. They depicted an angel falling from the skies locked tightly onto a demon. It looked like the demon was winning...  
  
The first thing that greeted Naro's eyes Ghenna sitting in his control room. Behind him stood Leksa. In front, chained tightly up, knelt Katsumi. The Gray Eyes were no where to be seen. Leksa's only visible eye burned itself into Naro. It glittered almost as brightly as Ghenna's own two. His were shinning like diamonds. They were bright and terrible. Naro became slightly unsettled. This was it. Too late to go back now.  
  
Silently he strode forward and came to a stop ten feet from the Tyrant's chair. Katsumi looked up from the floor and saw him for the first time. Her expression of pain seemed to deepen. Naro did his best to avoid her gaze. She didn't think he stood a chance... Another wasted life...  
  
Finally the old man spoke.  
  
"Keinaro... My poor Judas..."  
  
Naro said nothing. The old man continued.  
  
"You won't even greet me any more? What kind of son do you think you are?"  
  
Naro continued his silence. His hand trailed up to his belt and he placed it on the hilt of his knife.  
  
"You're going to kill me Naro?" The old one said bemused. He began to point. "Look at him Leska. He's going to kill me! Look Katsumi. Your hero has come. He's come to save the day!"  
  
Ghenna began to laugh uproariously. Naro could feel Leska's eye on him. She was burrowing into his thoughts. She was trying to read his mind... The Gray Eye did his best to hide himself from her roving eye, his thoughts were going to betray him. Naro began to chant softly to himself. He had to hide his thoughts. For Katsumi's sake if anything, he had to hide his thoughts.  
  
Ghenna finished his laughter and knelt forward. "Go on Naro. Strike me down. Let's see what you are truly made of. I want to see what kind of assassin I have raised."  
  
Naro gripped the handle of his knife tightly and glared at Ghenna. One shot? Was he being given one shot? His eyes narrowed. He was going to make this one shot count.  
  
"Come on Naro. Kill me."  
  
There was a long pause. Naro stood unmoving. His thoughts he masked as tightly as he could. He was afraid of Leska. If only it wasn't for Leska...  
  
After a minute Ghenna frowned. "What is this Naro? You won't even strike me down? What kind of-"  
  
Faster than either Katsumi or Ghenna could follow Naro snapped his knife out and activated the energy saber. He brought the whole thing down upon Ghenna's head with as much force as he could put behind it. Both the old man and the captive woman were caught totally by surprise. The whole attack lasted less than a quarter of a second- a testimony to Naro's speed training.  
  
How ever instead of hitting soft flesh he came in contact with something hard. Naro had been fast, probably the fastest he'd ever been in his whole life, but Leska had been faster. She'd followed his body signs and had caught glimpses of his thoughts through the confusion Naro had set up in his mind. Instead of hitting her master, Naro struck an energy barrier. His blade was less than a centimeter from Ghenna's forehead. Throwing her arms out she caught Naro up and flung him away. With a cry he sailed across the room and landed hard. Ghenna laughed.  
  
"You can't out shine my blessed Leska Naro. Don't even try. Her psychic powers have evolved so much in the last twenty years. Energy barriers and flinging things across rooms are so basic to her now."  
  
Katsumi began to quiver. Naro... He was a dead man...  
  
The Gray Eye swore as he climbed to his feet. He missed his chance. So much for the heroic bit now... Leska's eye burned into him once more...  
  
He was done for.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Slowly Lime pulled her body up from the floor. This bishop was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was stronger, faster and smarter than any thing she ever saw in the past. All around her, her sisters rose slowly from the floor themselves. This was not working. Even as they worked together they were still not match for this... this creature!  
  
"...Shit..." she whined out softly. "Shit...Otaru..."  
  
The bishop laughed. "I have to admit, to have come this far you all impressed me. But here is where I now draw the line. None of you will be able to get out of here alive!"  
  
Otaru held on to Hanagata tightly. "Bloodberry, Cherry, Lime..."  
  
Slowly all six were on their feet once more and rushing in for the attack.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro screamed in pain as he felt another blow strike his body. Leska didn't even need to use her hands to inflict pain. Naro was being struck about by the painful energy flashes the woman's mind generated. There was a snap, then a quick flash and Naro was once more rolling about in pain.  
  
"Shit!!" he screamed between his teeth. It hurt worse than anything else he ever felt. It was like lightning up and down his body.  
  
[snap][BAM]  
  
"GAAAH!!"  
  
[snap][BAM]  
  
"God Daaaha!!"  
  
[snap][BAM]  
  
Katsumi did her best to shield her eyes.   
  
"No, no! Lord! Please have pity! Don't kill him, please!! Leska-chan! Don't stoppit please. Just stop it!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime was almost to her breaking point. Her body was sore and aching at every joint, muscle and ligament she could imagine.  
  
"Oh god why..." she groaned. They were so close...  
  
Otaru gritted his teeth and shook his head. It was obvious the women had the spirit but all the spirit in the world wasn't enough to match the pure skill of this Bishop. He had to have been on of Ghenna's best. One of his elite. Lime rose to her hands and knees and gazed forward dizzily. She blinked at the Bishop standing before her. Dammed man... dammed, dammed man... Why...  
  
Her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes focused on something else...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Katsumi began to shake and scream against her chains. The flashes and snaps were becoming so numerous now it was like one giant, constant glow. Naro screamed shrilly as the pain coursed its way up and through his body. Ghenna laughed.  
  
"Not very heroic Keinaro. Not very heroic at all."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Bloodberry landed close to her sister with a grunt. Lime turned to her and propped her up. An idea had found its way into Lime's head.  
  
"Onee-chan, Onee-chan! Look! Get up onee-chan!"  
  
Bloodberry groaned and sat up. "Ooog... Lime, what is it?"  
  
"Look!" the blue haired maiden said pointing.  
  
Bloodberry focused her eyes.  
  
"What... what are you..."  
  
"There!" she said almost excitedly. "There! Right there. The biggest thing in this entire room!!"  
  
"W-what, you mean the..." The bigger woman furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "W-what the hell do we do with that Lime..."  
  
Lime smiled as realization dawned on her sister's face. "Lime... Lime you don't mean..."  
  
"Yes Bloodberry-chan. That's the only way."  
  
"But, but what about Otaru?! What about ourselves?!"  
  
"We get Otaru and Hana and Faust to the lock. Maybe even get the others in there. We lock it and throw it. I don't care about myself. I want Otaru to be safe! That's all I want."  
  
Bloodberry swallowed. "Lime..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro hung in the air breathing heavily. Leska's mind held him there. His arms were tightly pinned to his sides and his legs also appeared bound. Lord Ghenna rose smiling.  
  
"I do believe this is it Naro. This ends now. You are a traitor to Mesopotamia and to myself. Now you will pay the price."  
  
Katsumi struggled against her bonds savagely. "Lord no! Please Lord Ghenna!! Don't kill him! Please don't! It was my fault! It was all my fault!!"  
  
"Shut up!" the old man snapped bitterly at her. "My Leska-chan found out about this plan from your own thoughts. The saw everything that happened. You and Keinaro are both guilty of treason. I am just taking care of Mr. Hajima first. I have something special planned for you later on..."  
  
Katsumi quivered terribly. "...Lord..."  
  
Despite the pain Naro smiled weakly.  
  
"Stupid shit..."  
  
Ghenna turned. "What did you say?"  
  
Naro started to chuckle. "You are an idiot. There will be no later, Ghenna. We destroyed the coolant lines to the reactors! This entire place will destroy itself in a matter of minutes. This city and everyone on it will be destroyed as will your dreams of conquest!"  
  
Naro began to laugh. "Who has the last laugh now?"  
  
He stopped when he heard Ghenna laughing along side with him. Wait a second... he wasn't supposed to find this funny...  
  
"Naro you IDIOT!!" The tyrant was roaring in laughter. "Do you really think it would be so easy to destroy this city? I have to admit you were clever in taking out the coolant valves but you, in no way, stopped the flow of coolant into the reactors. The piping for that run up through the reactors, not on the outside. You destroyed a few safety valves, nothing more. Why do you think there haven't been any alarms going off since?"  
  
The faces of both the captives fell. This couldn't be true, could it? Katsumi shook her head slowly. She was sure those were the main valves... she was sure of it...  
  
"No, no my dears, the controls all reside up here. You guys haven't done nothing. All of this has been in vain! You stupid, stupid people!" The old man leaned back and almost exploded with laughter. Naro collapsed against the psychic restraints that held him up. Shit...  
  
Katsumi shook her head. "I... I was so sure those were the right ones..."  
  
"Heh, you and everyone else onboard this station. You all were supposed to think that for this very reason. Now why don't we just keep this little secret to ourselves, ne?" He broke out laughing once more. Naro was getting sick of that laugh...  
  
"Leska..." The Gray Eye said softly allowing her full access to his mind. "You don't have to do this Leska. I want to help you. We want to help you. Your sisters are here fighting to escape. They wanted you to come with them. It's not too late. You can still be happy..."  
  
The woman stared at Naro impassively with her dead eye.  
  
Ghenna's chuckles subsided and his face became grim once more.  
  
"It's time Naro. Now you will die."  
  
Katsumi jerked up and began to scream.   
  
"No! No no, Lord! Please, Stop! Have mercy, I beg of you! Please Lord Ghenna!! Please, oh god all mighty please!"  
  
The old man ignored the woman. "Kill him Leska."  
  
In a flat deadpan voice she responded. "Hai."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Cherry, Tiger, Luchs, and Panta nodded slowly. That was the plan. Slowly it circulated around the women. As one group kept the Bishop busy the others circulated the plan. The Saber dolls would escape with their master and Otaru just in case they met resistance in the next room where the Spera was situated. Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry would stick together. It became clear that this was the only way.  
  
The Bishop wasn't stupid. He knew that they were planning something. They were keeping him busy. What ever it was didn't have him worried. What could they possibly do to him? He's a Bishop, and one of the best Lord Ghenna had to offer. There was nothing they could possibly do to kill him.  
  
Otaru sat on the sideline with Faust.  
  
"What, what are they talking about Faust?"  
  
The taller man shook his head. "I don't know. Let's just hope that what ever it is, it will work."  
  
Otaru nodded slowly. "Me too..."  
  
Hanagata watched the maidens fight and joined Otaru's nod. "Me three."  
  
  
Lime stood up to her full height and rose her arm. "Ok! Let's do it! Everyone go!!"  
  
Suddenly all six of the woman began to circle the Bishop. They moved quickly and quickly had him surrounded.  
  
"The hell is this?" He said raising his fists. Lime swung in behind him and swatted him on the back of the head. With a roar he spun around and swung but found himself hitting nothing but air. Suddenly he felt another slap against the back of his head. He reached around and spun his body once more. Bloodberry made a face and pulled away from his body as he continued running around him. Suddenly there was a solid push at the Bishop's back and he stumbled forward. He screamed as he regained his balance and spun.   
  
"What the hell is this?!" He spat.   
  
[Smack]  
  
"What the fuck are you doing?!"  
  
[smack]  
  
"Stop this now!!"  
  
[smack]  
  
"Graaaaagh!!!"  
  
  
Otaru shook his head. "What are they doing? He'd just getting more and more angry!"  
  
Faust narrowed his eyes. "They're herding him. Look. They're moving him across bay."  
  
"Herding him where?"  
  
Faust cocked his head slightly. "It's not to the airlock, they're pushing him away from both of them..."  
  
Otaru sat up. "...But toward the outside door! Faust! You don't think they're going to-"  
  
"They just might Otaru! Oh Lord..."  
  
  
Lime figured that the Bishop was close enough to the door. It was time to finish this damn thing up.  
  
"Everyone, NOW!"  
  
Bloodberry came around and gave the Bishop a solid kick in his back sending him flying. His combat system was going crazy. Six targets and three were almost always behind his back. It was difficult to keep up and alert.  
  
The Saber dolls broke away from the Bishop and sped towards Otaru, Hanagata and Faust.  
  
"Let's go!" Panta said reaching them first.  
  
Otaru felt himself being hoisted up. "W-what? Were are we going?"  
  
"Safety." Was all Tiger told him. A moment later they were all making their way for the airlock.  
  
"Wait! What about Lime and-"  
  
Luchs pushed Otaru faster. "Go now Otaru! They'll be fine, move!!"  
  
  
The Bishop got back up to his feet and turned. His back was to the massive outer door of the station. In front of him Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry stood resolutely. Their fists were raised in fighting stances. Behind them he could see the others...  
  
His eyes went wide. They were escaping!! With a roar he lunged forward but found himself held back by the maidens before him. Cherry stepped to the side and tried her best to trip the man up while Bloodberry charged forward. Lime grabbed the man's legs and tried to hold him down.  
  
"No! You're not going anywhere!" She cried out.   
  
The Bishop lost his balance and toppled over. The three maidens were over him in a moment.  
  
"Stay down!"  
  
"You're staying here!"  
  
The tall man looked up to see the others reaching the airlock. That's what it was. The three here were sacrificing themselves so that the rest would be able to escape.  
  
"No!" he grunted. In a surge of strength he rose and sent the maidens on him flying. Digging his hands into the ground the man surge forward and onto his feet.  
  
  
Tiger turned and saw the huge Bishop charge. Grabbing Hanagata roughly she tossed him into the airlock.  
  
"In you go!" stepping in herself she hit the lock on the door. Moments before the huge monster reached the airlock but he was too late. The door had just closed. With a scream he slammed his fists against the reinforced metal. Tiger watched him through the glass of the window and made a face.  
  
"Sucker~"  
  
Otaru groaned and shifted on the floor where he'd been deposited. His wound was open once more.  
  
"Lime! Bloodberry! Cherry! Where are they?!"  
  
Luchs turned to him. "They're taking care of that monstrosity. They'll join us after he's dead."  
  
"What?" The young man rose and looked out the window.  
  
  
The Bishop scowled. Fine... He turned to the control panel on the door.  
  
"If that's the way you bitches want it then this is how it's going to be." He said calling over his shoulder. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the control panel. With a shower of sparks and a small explosion the he destroyed the panel. Cherry rose.  
  
"No!"  
  
Whirling on them he pointed his finger. "This is how you wanted it! Now it's just you three and I." His eyes shone brightly. "You can't leave here alive now! You're trapped!"  
  
Bloodberry shook her head. "No... No way!"  
  
Lime scowled. "Liar. Then you would be trapped as well. You have something..."  
  
"Clever girl..." The Bishop said smiling slightly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key card. "This will work that last door you came through and allow you access to the hangar. From there you can steal one of those ships and escape."  
  
"Y-you locked that last airlock!?" Bloodberry say incredulously.  
  
The Bishop placed the card on the ground and smiled. "Come and take it."  
  
Lime slowly backed up. "No..." She said softly. "Sisters... You know what to do, ne?"  
  
Swallowing both Cherry and Bloodberry nodded.   
  
"If we lose that key?"  
  
Cherry raised her fist. "It won't matter. We'll die for Otaru then." Her face hardened and her eyes narrowed. "I am willing, for Otaru's sake."  
  
Bloodberry turned to her sisters. They both were willing to sacrifice themselves for Otaru. If this was the only way to kill this Bishop and allow him to escape...  
  
Bloodberry nodded. "Let's go then. For Otaru. Let's get rid of this asshole."  
  
"I pray fate is with us..."  
  
Cherry smiled. "If she loves us then we'll hold Otaru again some day..."  
  
The Bishop shook his head. "What..." He said softly.   
  
Lime backed her self up against the wall. "Hang on." She told the Bishop with a slight smile.  
  
"What?" He said with a puzzled look on his face. Lime stepped aside and revealed a large lever on the wall behind her. Realization dawned like the morning sun the face of the Bishop. She was going to vent the entire cargo hold to space! She was opening the main door!!  
  
"NOO!!!"  
  
Lime reached up and pulled the lever down. Suddenly the lights in the room turned read and all the klaxons went off. Slowly the outer doors began to open. Lime bolted away from the door and grabbed onto some loose piping. Cherry and Bloodberry broke up and did the same. The massive blast doors slid open quickly. The only thing that separated the compartment from the cold of space was an energy barrier.  
  
The City was in ultra high orbit around Terra II. It was taking photos of the planet's surface and taking readouts of the atmosphere. All that there was outside the energy barrier was open space. Lime looked out and shuddered. It looked so cold and lifeless... As the Bishop scrambled for something to hold onto the energy barrier faded. In an instant the entire chamber turned into a giant vacuum. The escaping air pulled and grabbed at everything in the chamber. Lime closed her eyes and held her breath. This was it...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska looked into Naro's eyes. Her one eye burned into his thoughts. She began to talk to him. Her voice was massive and overpowering.  
  
'HAJIMA, KEINARO...'  
  
'Leska-chan...' he returned.  
  
'WHO ARE YOU?'  
  
'Who am I? Hope maybe. At least that's what I'd liked to have been.'  
  
'HOPE? FOR WHO?'  
  
Naro smiled. 'Everyone. I remember telling your sisters I wasn't trying to be a hero... I suppose I was lying. Suddenly I want to feel like one.'  
  
'A HERO? A HERO NEVER DIES.'  
  
'No. That's not true. I've been told of one hero who helped saved six lives at the expense of hers. She became trapped because she put those others before her. She died.'  
  
Leska became silent.  
  
'Do you know what her name was Leska? That woman went by Jade."  
  
Leska stared at him for a moment before tightening her grip around him. Naro groaned as he felt himself being squeezed. 'INDEED SHE DIED. SHE HAD BEEN A FOOL.'  
  
'Her sisters still love her, you know. They still love that woman.'  
  
Leska fell silent once more.  
  
'They want her back someday. They want to hold her and see her one day..."  
  
Leska narrowed her eye.  
  
'TELL ME ONE MORE THING NARO...'  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
Leska cocked her head. The overpowering feeling the voice had faded slightly.  
  
'Why did you come here? Why did you return? Surely not for my sister..."  
  
Naro swallowed and found himself smiling. As he met eyes with Katsumi his lips moved and the answer flowed freely forth. Naro suddenly realized why he really was here. He spoke aloud.  
  
"Because it was the right thing to do..."  
  
  
Leska narrowed her eye and said no more. Instead a bolt of energy began to form in front of her. It was bright and shimmered blue. It was a psychic lance- a bolt of pure psychic energy. Naro watched as it gained in size and length. Katsumi began to scream. What Naro said dawned on the woman. It was the reason she promised to stay with him until he defeated Ghenna before their plans changed. She began to thrash against her bonds violently and scream with everything she had inside herself.   
  
Naro swallowed as his breathing picked up. He was going to die... This was it. He came back to save Katsumi, now who was going to save him? Leska's singular eye burned into Naro for the last time. The psychic bolt was at full size. The woman positioned Naro in the path of the bolt and readied it.  
  
"Goodbye Naro." Ghenna said smiling. "You could have been great. Oh well, no regrets, eh?" He turned to his slave maiden. "Kill him."  
  
Leska nodded once. "Hai."  
  
Almost faster than Naro could follow the bolt shot forward headed right for his body. Katsumi threw her head back and screamed.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Lime!!" Bloodberry yelled over the din. "LIIME!! The Keycard!"  
  
The blue haired maiden looked to the direction her sister was pointing. There it was. The string it was attached to had caught itself on some scrap metal in the piping just above Lime's head.   
  
"I got it!" she yelled back to her sister. Lime reached up against the pull of the escaping air and reached out for the key card. It was slowly slipping away. If she didn't get it they would stay trapped in that airlock once the door closes. They would die in there when The City explodes.  
  
Lime turned just in time to avoid a loose piece of scrap metal that whizzed by her head.  
  
"Lime!!" Cherry cried out.  
  
"I'm fine!!" The plucky maiden reached up and for the key card once more. It was slowly slipping off the scrap. She reached out with her fingers as far as they would go.  
  
"Almost..." she said straining against the pull of the air. "Almost..."  
  
With a snap and a flutter the key card broke free of the piece of scrap...  
  
  
...and went straight into Lime's outstretched palms. Grinning she held the card out triumphantly.  
  
"Got it!"  
  
As the wind whipped through Bloodberry's hair she smiled.   
  
"All right! Now how do we close this door?!"  
  
"Where's all the air coming from?!" Cherry screamed.  
  
"We left the service vents open!" Lime called out over the din. "We're venting the entire station!!"  
  
"Close the door! Close that door then!!"  
  
"How?!" Bloodberry called out. If they stayed like this much longer they would freeze.  
  
"It's on a timer!! We'll just have to wait this out! "  
  
  
Otaru was glued to the airlock window. The lock itself was sealed away from the vacuum of the storage room. He banged his fists against the window.   
  
"LIME!! CHERRY!! BLOODBERRY!!"   
  
Lime was about to respond to her sister when she felt something suddenly grab onto her. Looking down her eyes widened. It was the Bishop. He screamed at her and began to crawl his way up her legs.  
  
"LIME!!" Bloodberry screamed out to her. Lime closed her eyes and screamed. Kicking her feet about savagely she tried to shake the man off of her. It was no good. The Bishop held her even more tightly than before. Her hands were like vices.  
  
"NO!!" If the doors closed and he was still inside he would kill them all. Lime seriously doubted the airlock doors that Otaru was hiding behind would hold the powerful Bishop back for long...  
  
Her thoughts were cut short by a final piece of scrap metal. With a slam it crashed against her fingers holding her tightly to the piping of the bay. Lime screamed in pain. The heavy scrap had crushed her fingers nearly flat. In her agony her grip in the keycard loosened. With a terrible snap the card whipped away from Lime and out the bay doors...  
  
"NO!!!" Bloodberry screamed. That had been their only chance! They were stuck in the cargo bay...  
  
  
Otaru fist slammed once more against the glass window of the airlock.  
  
"No! Lime..."  
  
  
With only her good hand holding her to the pipe Lime looked at her broken one. It was smashed completely. She couldn't even move her fingers. With a snarl the Bishop grabbed hold of Lime's belt and pulled himself up.  
  
"Lime!" Bloodberry screamed. The green eyed maiden looked up at her sister. Bloodberry looked so sad...  
  
Lime remembered what the angel and devil had promised her... One gave her happiness and survival... The other gave her pure joy and love... one promised life, the other love...  
  
Lime swallowed. She'd chosen love...not life... She turned her head downwards to the vast field of stars...  
  
From deep down the angel that had guided her called out to her once more.  
  
  
'...your choice is obvious...'  
  
  
Lime looked back up to her sisters. As Cherry held to the pipes tightly she saw Lime smiling up at her... Her mouth moved slowly. Bloodberry's eyes shot wide open. No... She wasn't going to really...  
  
  
Cherry didn't understand what Lime was telling her. It... It almost looked like a...  
  
  
Bloodberry screamed out.  
  
"LIME!! NO!!"  
  
  
Letting her hand relax Lime slipped free from the piping. Spreading her arms wide she let the wind carry her.   
  
  
It almost looked like a... goodbye...  
  
  
With a sudden rush Bloodberry and Cherry watched Lime, the Bishop still attached to her, fly out past the bay doors and into the vast void of the stars.  
  
"NOO! LIIIIIIME!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
A moment. It was only a moment. A heart beat, maybe two. A blink of the eye. That was all it was, but for Otaru the moment stretched into two, then three, then five. Time slowed. Time stopped. In his chest his heart seemed to stop. His stomach seemed to twist violently. He didn't notice when he broke and bent his nails back when his hands dug into the wall. He didn't notice the fire in his shoulder anymore.   
  
"L..."  
  
Tiger stood dumbfounded. Panata took two steps back and collapsed in shock. Luchs covered her mouth and turned away. Faust closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. Hanagata lowered his and silently dug his hands into the hard metal of the wall.  
  
"Li..."  
  
Otaru's face twisted. It suddenly filled with pain. The blood drained and his color paled. His eyes twisted and screwed while his mouth turned into a savage grimace. His face looked as if someone had just torn his very heart from his body...  
  
"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Finally the bay door timed out and the energy shield rose once more. Bloodberry and Cherry felt their bodies settle as the strong blast of wind vanished. Silently the huge bay doors closed and the lights returned. The bay was quiet once more.  
  
Cherry stirred first. Slowly she rose to her hands and knees. She opened her eyes and shook her head slowly. The warmth was returning to her body. Her endoskeleton was quickly repairing any damage the severe cold did her body. She was dizzy...  
  
Groaning she slowly rose to her feet.  
  
"O-onee-sama?" Where was Bloodberry?  
  
Looking around she saw no one.  
  
Cherry's voice grew scared. "Onee-sama?! Bloodberry! Bloodberry-chan, where are you?!"  
  
She almost thought her sister had joined Lime out among the stars when she saw a flash of red by a piping structure next to a container that had been bolted down. Cherry stumbled over as best she could; her muscles and joints were still very frigid. Bloodberry was lying face down on the deck unmoving.  
  
"Onee-sama!!"  
  
Cherry dropped to her sister's side.  
  
"Onee-sama! Onee-sama!!"  
  
Slowly her sister stirred. Cherry nearly collapsed with relief.  
  
"Onee-sama... You're all right."  
  
Bloodberry said nothing. Her arms were pulled close and her hands clenched.  
  
Cherry furrowed her eyebrows. "Onee-sama..."  
  
She reached out and slowly rolled her sister over. Bloodberry was weeping. Her eyes slowly rolled up and met her sister's. Cherry's expression suddenly fell. As the tears started to form along her deep eyes and her lip began to quiver she reached down and pulled her sister close.  
  
"Onee-sama..." She said weakly before joining Bloodberry.   
  
The high ceiling and large empty floor made the chamber seem much more vast, empty and hollow than it really was. Their sobs, however, still echoed and reverberated loudly and lonely against the walls.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Lime was well clear of the pressure shielding. She could feel her body trying to swell and burst. Space was a cruel and terrible place. Without an atmosphere no air pressure could exist. Her body was as pressurized as The City had been. When the pressurized storage lock vented to space the air escaped and tried to equilibrate the pressure inside the chamber and outside the lock. Out in space her body was trying to do the same thing, only she didn't have any means for the pressure to release itself. So her body was trying expand and blow up to in order to release the pressure inside of her. The only thing that held her together was the endo-system inside her body. The net held everything back. It gave her warmth against the freezing cold and did its best to filter the co2 out of her body.  
  
How ever even that skeleton was no match for the bitterness of space. It was slowly failing. Lime was dying. The woman curled her body up tightly. It was so cold...  
  
Lime was shivering almost violently. She felt the trails of the tears that she had shed earlier freeze on her cheeks. Her lungs burned. They told her to inhale. To take a deep breath, but every time she tried they would not inflate. In her ears and her temples her heart beat. She could feel every pump her little, powerful muscle beat for her. Even that, however, seemed to be slowly fading away.   
  
She was blind. The fluids in her eyes had long since frozen solid. Her hearing was next. The hand that had been flattened by the loose piece of scrap was numb. She shouldn't feel anything in it. Her other hand was quickly joining its partner. She floated free out in the vast cold, the only thing saving her from the terrible heat and fire of the sun was the shade of The City. The up there, the sun would have burned her into a cinder in little to no time.  
  
Despite all that; the blindness, the numbing cold working its way up her hands and feet consuming her, the lungs that burned deep inside her, the pain of her body trying to adjust to the sudden pressure change, she was smiling. Eyes half lidded and pupils white matching the color of her skin her mouth wore a soft smile. She curled her self a little tighter and let the small smile spread.  
  
She'd defeated the Bishop. She spread her arms instead of clenching her fists and she'd won. Lime tried to swallow, but found that the fluids in her throat had frozen it closed. Oh well... I didn't matter any more anyway.  
  
Her sisters were going to be all right, she was sure of it. Otaru was going to be all right...  
  
Her smiled widened. Otaru...  
  
He was going to be sad, Lime knew he was, but she also knew that someday he would smile once more. Her precious Otaru...  
  
The Angel had been correct. Never in her entire life had Lime been happier. She'd finally found the bliss and the happiness she always sought before. She was saving everyone she loved. She was dying for everyone she cared about. Lime was no longer ashamed anymore. She'd let go for everyone. Now she was going to die for Otaru. There was no reason for her to be ashamed anymore. This was the greatest thing she could have done for him. This was the greatest act of love she could have shown him. She loved Otaru...  
  
Her arms and legs had frozen solid. Lime's heartbeat was slowing. Her core temperature was dropping. Lime didn't have much longer to go. Her mind slowly began to slow down along with the rest of her body. Her thoughts became simpler and more generalized as her mind began to die. The feeling of happiness that had flooded her was almost overwhelming...  
  
Otaru...   
  
Everytime she saw his face in her mind's eye she would feel a warmth pass through her.  
  
Her Otaru...  
  
She wasn't afraid. She wasn't ashamed. Her entire life hadn't been wasted. While she lived she made a single man happier than he had ever been in his entire life. She'd touched a heart and opened its' eyes. She'd shared her happiness and shared it from others in return.  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
She closed her eyes one last time. Her shivering had all but stopped. The muscles were frozen solid. Her smile still softy etched on her face...  
  
Lime had only one regret. She would have loved to live longer with Otaru. She would have loved to become a mother.   
  
A mother...  
  
Lime would have loved to bear a child of her own and raise it with her Otaru... That would have made her very happy...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Her heart finally stopped. Her mind was fast becoming numb. The last she ever saw in her thoughts was Otaru's face. The sun was shining and Lime could tell it was warm outside. Behind him fields of rice waved green and shimmered in the afternoon light. He had his large rice hat cocked back and was rubbing his arm across his forehead wiping the sweat away. His face was lit up in a warm, happy smile. He was smiling at her...  
  
  
Aishiteru, Otaru...  
  
  
A single tear lay frozen along her eye. In the zero gravity it had frozen itself away from her face rather than down her cheek. It stayed there like a tiny, misshapen icicle reaching out from her eyes to the stars, to the warmth that lay beyond, to her Otaru...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Canta per me ne addio  
quel dolce suono  
de' passati giorni  
mi sempre rammenta  
  
La vita dell'amore  
dilette del cor mio  
O felice, tu anima mia  
canta addagio...  
  
Tempra la cetra e canta  
il inno di morte  
a noi si schiude il ciel  
volano al raggio  
  
La vita dell'amore  
dilette del cor mio  
O felice, tu anima mia  
canta addio...  
  
La vita dell'amore...  
O dilette del cor mio...  
  
[translation]  
  
Sing for me, Farewell.  
Those sweet sounds  
Of the past days  
Will always remember me  
  
The life of the love,  
Beloved's of my heart,  
Oh happy you, mine soul,  
Sing slowly...  
  
Strengthen your lyre and sing  
The hymn of death.  
As the sky opens to us  
They fly away into the rays of the sun.  
  
The life of the love,  
Beloved's of my heart,  
Oh happy you, mine soul,  
Sing farewell...  
  
The life of the love,  
Oh Beloved's of my heart...  
  
~Canta Per Me  
[Sing For Me]  
Noir  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Softly, in the cold and the silence of space, Lime died.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
With one light on in one room,  
I know you're up when I get home.  
With one small step upon the stair,  
I know your look when I get there.  
  
If you were a king up there on your throne  
would you be wise enough to let me go?  
For this queen you think you own  
wants to be...  
  
A hunter again!  
I want to see the world.  
Alone. Again.  
To take a chance on life, again.  
So let me go!  
  
The unread book and painful look.  
The TV's on, the sound is down.  
One long pause, then you begin.  
Oh look what the cat's brought in!  
  
If you were a king up there on your throne  
would you be wise enough to let me go  
for this queen you think you own  
Wants to be...  
  
A hunter again!  
I want to see the world  
Alone. Again.  
To take a chance on life again,  
So let me go!  
Let me leave!  
  
For the crown you've placed upon my head feels too heavy now!  
and I don't know what to say to you but I'll smile anyhow...  
And all the time I'm thinking, thinking!  
  
I want to be a hunter again  
want to see the world  
Alone. Again.  
To take a chance on life again!  
So let me go!  
  
I want to be a hunter again  
want to see the world  
Alone. Again.  
To take a chance on life again  
So let me go!  
Let me leave!  
Let me go!  
  
  
~Hunter  
Dido  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro cringed. His time had come. He waited for the bolt of the energy. It would come swiftly...  
  
...But it never arrived. Behind his closed eyelids he could see a bright source of light. It stayed in front of him and didn't move. Deciding to risk a glance he opened one eye. There, in front of him, he saw the most beautiful thing he ever saw in his life.  
  
The blue energy bolt that Leksa had fired hovered inches from Naro's face. Its iridescent blue energy swirled and spun about as it held its spot there in space. Circling it was a pure white coil of energy. It seemed to wrap itself like a snake around Leska's bolt holding it tightly in its place. It was holding the bolt meant to kill Naro back. The Gray Eye swallowed. What in god's name was that!?  
  
For the first time in almost twenty years Leska's face was a mask of shock. Something had wrapped itself around her bolt and was holding it back! The pale woman took a step back and furrowed the eyebrow that could be seen. What was this?!  
  
Ghenna limped forward, his face grave. Something was countering his Leska's own power! What on all of Terra II was that?!  
  
A noise to their left cause all three to turn.   
  
Katsumi knelt there wrapped in her chains. Her once soft eyes were now hard. Her expression was a mix of sorrow and rage. From her forehead lightning and a bright white light seemed to flow forth. She stared at the blue bolt Leska had made glared hatefully. It took Leska, Naro and Ghenna half a second to all come to the same conclusion. The Gray Eye shook his head slowly.  
  
"Kat... Katsumi's a..."  
  
Ghenna stepped forward and smiled wickedly. "She's a psycic!"  
  
  
Leska shook her head. It really couldn't be true! Katsumi NEVER showed ANY signs of having this latent psychic she was seeing now. She had always been normal. A tad unusually smart, but otherwise perfectly normal! There wasn't any way...  
  
But as she looked over to her bold suspended in front of Otaru she shook her head. It... It had to be true... As contrived as it seemed, the evidence was obvious. Katsumi had been, all these years, a sleeper. She'd been one with powerful powers unknown to even herself.  
  
The blonde woman shook her head savagely and closed her eyes tightly shut.  
  
"I didn't want this!!" she yelled loudly. "I didn't want all this hatred! I didn't want all this death! We used to be so happy, Leska! You remember! I know you do. I see it in your eyes! I see it every time you look at me..."  
  
Naro clamped his eyes shut and shook his head. In an explosion of light and energy the psychic bold was crushed by Katsumi's own energy. A ring began to sound in the air. It was a high pitched whine that seemed to be emanating from Katsumi on the floor. Naro grimaced and shook his head. The damn nose seemed to echo through his head.  
  
Suddenly he felt Leska's grip on his body loosen. He looked up and over at her.   
  
"I want us to be happy again! I want all of us to be happy, Leska!! I love you Onee-chan! I still love you despite everything!! That's why I just want this to stop! I just want all of this to stop!!"  
  
Naro listened as the ringing became louder and watched Leska fall to the floor. Her hands where tightly clamped around her ears as if she was trying to block out the sound. He could feel Leska's grip in him loosen. Katsumi was using some sort of psychic feedback. It was tearing Leska's head apart!  
  
"Just make this all stop!! Just please! I want it to go away!! All of this!!"  
  
The consoles and the control panels that Ghenna used to control the entire station, one by one, started to explode. In a showers of sparks and glass the sensitive electrical equipment were overloaded and burst. Katsumi was overloading everything!! Ghenna turned and moved behind Leska. He put the pale woman in between himself and the consoles to his left.  
  
"Get up!" He shouted to her. "Get up now! Protect your master, your life depends on it!!"  
  
But instead of rising as he commanded Leska sunk even lower. Katsumi's feedback was becoming unbearable. She opened her mouth and a scream flowed out.  
  
Katsumi threw her head back and let go. "Make it STOOOP!!!"  
  
Her body suddenly exploded and began to burn with cool, white flames. Leska's scream increased in volume and pitch. Her voice became almost as shrill as the whine that echoed through out the chamber. Just as the controls for the reactor coolant valves blew into a million pieces Leska's grip on Naro failed. Landing hard the Gray Eye hit the floor with a grunt.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Down in the reactor spaces the coolant valves received broken command from the control console telling them to remove every ounce of coolant from the main cores. With a mechanical whir the coolant control valves did what they had been told. With in minutes every ounce of coolant had been pulled from the reactors. Where Naro and Katsumi's plan left some coolant inside the tubes to slow the eventual meltdown this drained the reactors entirely. With the main control panels in Ghenna's chambers un-overridible, The City had just entered its last 10 minutes of life.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Finally the ringing went away. Katsumi, who hadn't moved an inch since the start fell back. She was exhausted. Her first trip into her previously unknown psychic powers exhausted her. She's spent more than she could handle. Leska's hands left her ears as she too knelt where she was on the ground breathing heavily...  
  
Naro watched her a moment before realizing what he had to do. She was the biggest threat to Katsumi and himself. There was a reason behind that. Scowling he redrew his knife and readied it. Now was his only chance. She was weak...  
  
Scowling the Gray Eye leaped up and charged forward.  
  
"YEEEAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"  
  
The energy saber shot out from the knife hilt. Charging while screaming from the top of his lungs he brought the powered blade to bear. Leska looked up at the last moment. Naro was charging straight for her. Her eye went wide. She was still too weak to do anything to him. Katsumi had hurt her bad. The psychic feedback used Leska's own power against her.  
  
Naro met Leska's eye one last time as he came close. He pulled the blade down and back and prepared for a stabbing lunge. For the first time in his life Naro saw fear in the eyes of Leska. She was spread out wide open for him to attack and to kill and there was nothing she could have done about it. She pulled back as best she could and covered her head. Naro dived and with a fearsome yell struck forward.  
  
"Oh no..."  
  
  
  
  
The energy blade came into solid contact with flesh and bone and pierced all the way through. Blood splattered all over the wall as Naro drove his weapon into it pinning his victim onto it like a butterfly to a collector's board. A second later it was over. Naro let go as the blood ran down the length of his weapon. There was a dry sucking sound as the lung that the blade pierced tried to breathe in air. A choke and a gasp followed the shocked expression on the face of Naro's kill. Naro had firmly nailed the former Lord of all of Mesopotamia to the wall. Lord Ghenna gave a strangled sob as he looked at the saber hilt sticking out of his gut. He leaned in close and scowled.  
  
"You're through. Your reign ends here...lord..." He reached out and grabbed the tyrant by his throat and pulled his head up and pointed it towards the pale maiden on the floor gawking at the terrible scene that was unfolding behind her.  
  
"Look at her Ghenna... Look at the woman whose life you tore apart. Look at the life you tried to shatter. Look at her. I want you to know, that from this moment on, she's free. She's free 'lord'... She'll never be a slave again. Her life is her own..."  
  
Naro leaned forward and whispered harshly in the dying man's ear.  
  
"Her life is her own..."  
  
  
Naro turned and left the wicked man there pinned to the wall. He wanted nothing more to do with him. I was all over now... It was finished. Naro walked slowly over to Leska and knelt by her side. She blinked at him and stared with a confused expression stamped onto her features. She wasn't sure what to do anymore... She failed Ghenna, she should be sad but, for some reason or another, she wasn't. She was scared of Naro.  
  
When the Gray Eye charged, instead of striking her down he leapt clear over her body and plunged his blade into Ghenna who'd been kneeling right behind her. If he was able to slip past her and kill the man from which all the fear in her life was derived then he too must be terrible...  
  
Yet... when he looked at her she didn't see anger. She didn't see the spite she was so used to seeing in the eyes of other men. His Gray Eyes had become soft. She swore she could almost see...  
  
...love? ...In them. He reached his hand out to her and she shrank away. What was this? He... The only other man in her entire life to look at her that way was Kaiser, but Kaiser was dead! This man wasn't Kaiser! Why was he looking at her like that? What, what was he doing?!  
  
For the first time in Leska's life she couldn't see into another man's mind. It was almost as if she had forgotten to do so...  
  
When Naro saw her pull away from his hand he frowned. Cocking his head slightly he met her eyes. She was scared... When he spoke his voice was soft. There was no sting or sharp order to it like what the pale woman was so used to.  
  
"You're scared of me? It wasn't too long ago I was terrified of you. Heh, I guess the tables have turned, huh? It doesn't matter any more Leska. I'm not going to hurt you. I can't say I've never wanted to hurt you, but from this point on you're safe from me. I am on your side. I'm following in the footsteps of Kaiser. Remember him? He tried to save you and now I will as well." Naro rose and started to turn away.   
  
"You are free Jade. Your life is your own. Live it now."  
  
  
Katsumi knelt in the same spot Naro sad seen her in when he first walked into these black chambers. Her eyes were closed and her head moved up and down with her breathing. Hearing footsteps she opened them and turned up wards. Seeing Naro she smiled softly. The Gray Eye returned the smile and knelt beside her.   
  
"Naro..." She said softly. "You came back for me."  
  
"A whole lotta good I did. You're the hero Katsumi. You saved us all."  
  
The maiden smiled and leaned against Naro's body.  
  
"No... It was you in the end. You're the one who saved us."  
  
Naro shook his head. "I took advantage of the moment. I saw Leska down and realized that was my chance."  
  
"You don't understand Naro..." She said warming up to the man. "You don't know what you've just done for us... You see we could never kill him because-"  
  
She was cut off as the overhead alarms went off. The lights in the room went red and a voice spoke over the loud speaker.  
  
  
Cherry and Bloodberry stopped when the overhead lights went red once more. Fearing the blast door was about to open once more they shot up to their feet. They paused when they heard the voice.  
  
  
Faust took Otaru's shoulder. The young man looked up slowly between the sobs that wracked his body.  
  
"Listen!"  
  
  
There wasn't a single person on board The City that didn't hear the warning being called.   
  
"ATTENTION TO ALL, ATTENTION TO ALL. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY REACTORS HAVE REACHED CRITICAL POINTS. CORE MELTDOWNS ARE IMMINENT. ESTIMATED FIVE MINUTES REMAINING. WARNING: ALL PERSONS ARE ADVISED TO EVACUATE TO THEIR CLOSEST AVAILABLE ESCAPE SHIP. ESTIMATED FIVE MINUTES AND COUNTING BEFORE CORE DETONATION. ALL PERSONS ARE ADVISED TO ESCAPE NOW. ATTENTION TO AL, ATTENTION TO ALL..."  
  
The message repeated it self over and over again. Bloodberry and Cherry turned to one another and rose swiftly.  
  
"Onee-sama, how are we going to escape?"  
  
"I...I..." Bloodberry turned to her sister shaking her head slowly. "I don't know..."  
  
They both turned and made their way to the airlock door. Cherry looked through glass while Bloodberry examined the smashed panel. Tiger saw her sister peering through the glass and shot up.  
  
"Cherry!!"   
  
The purple haired maiden saw her sister rise and she smiled. She did her best to shout through the glass.  
  
"Tiger! Tiger are you all ok?"  
  
Luchs and Panta made their way forward as well.  
  
"Onee-sama!"  
  
"Cherry! Cherry we're all Ok! Everyone's safe."  
  
The woman smiled and turned to Bloodberry.  
  
"Onee-sama, they're safe. They made it!"  
  
Bloodberry reeled back as she shocked herself on the control panel. Her face became grave.  
  
"Cherry, I- I don't think we're going to be able to... Cherry I think... Che..."  
  
Cherry's smile faded. "Bloodberry..."  
  
"Cherry... we're not going to be able to follow them... We're trapped in here."  
  
The women on the other side of the door saw the expression of their sister fall. Their excitement quickly dissipated as they watched Cherry become grave. Their sister turned back to them through the glass.  
  
"S-Sisters..."  
  
Hanagata rose and walked over to the door. "What's going on? H-Hey! Cherry! Bloodberry! What the hell are you two doing out there. Hurry up and get in here! We're running out of time!"  
  
Cherry said nothing and simply gazed at Hanagata through the glass. A second later Bloodberry appeared. Her face wore the same expression as her sister's.  
  
Hanagata blinked. Why were they just staring at him. "H-hoi! What are you two doing? Stop standing there looking sorry for yourselves and get in here!"  
  
Panta took a step back and shook her head.  
  
"I...I don't think they can, Hanagata...I think they're trapped on that side."  
  
Otaru's eyes shot wide open. Spinning up from the other side of the airlock he rushed the door.  
  
"What?! WHAT?! N-NO!!! Cherry! Bloodberry!!! Get in here!! Get in here NOW!!"  
  
Both the maidens stood there silently. Otaru shook his head once more.  
  
"No NO!! Get in here NOW!!" He reached up and slammed his fist against the window. "NOW!! God dammit!! I'm your master!! I'm your master!!!"   
  
Cherry averted her eyes and turned away. "Bloodberry... are you sure there's no way?"  
  
The maiden with the fiery hair shook her head. "This door is sealed shut. We don't have the keycard, so the other one's useless. The only other door that will open is that outer door."  
  
Otaru was screaming now. He beat his fists on the glass. His wound didn't seem to bother him anymore. He was becoming hysterical.  
  
"Bloodberry..." Cherry said quietly.   
  
Otaru finally paused and planted his palm flat on the glass.  
  
"CHERRY!! BLOODBERRY!!! Bloodberry!! I don't... I don't..."  
  
"Otaru..." Cherry stepped up to the glass. Gazing at her master in the eyes she planted her palm over his on the other side of the glass. Pressing up against it she shook her head slowly. Bloodberry, following in suit, did the same. Otaru brought his other palm up and pressed it against the glass trying to press all the way through to Bloodberry.  
  
"No... No... I've lost Lime...I've lost Lime forever..." His tears ran freely all the way down his face. "I don't want to lose you two! I don't want to loose you!!"  
  
Overhead the alarm went off once more. Four minutes. Softly Faust spoke.  
  
"Otaru... we need to go."  
  
The young man whirled on him. "N-no! NO!! I won't leave them! I'm not going to leave them!  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Naro turned to Katsumi. "Come on. We'll have to talk about this some other time. We need to escape!"  
  
The woman shook her head slowly. "I'm so tired, Naro. I can't go anywhere."  
  
The Gray Eye scowled and rose up. "Come on, we don't have a choice. We need to go. This entire place is about to blow."  
  
Katsumi closed her eyes. "What happened? I thought what we did to the reactors didn't do anything? Why are they over heating?"  
  
The man wrapped his arms under and around Katsumi's body.  
  
"I don't know. Must have been something that Ghenna over looked. We need to go now Katsumi."  
  
The woman groaned and turned. She was exhausted both physically and mentally.  
  
"Onee, Onee-chan. Leska-chan..."  
  
Turning up her eyes met her sisters. Leska was staring at both of them. Confusion and fear was still stamped into her single eye. Katsumi smiled weakly. Naro bent down to her side.  
  
"Katsumi..."  
  
Slowly the woman extended her hand out. Opening her palm she reached for her sister.  
  
"Onee-chan... Come with us, please."  
  
The pale woman drew back from her sister's hand. Distrust was also becoming strong her eyes reflecting off the fear.  
  
"Onee-chan, please. Come with us. I don't care about before. I don't care about what happened to us. We can start over. We can still start over. Time is still with us."  
  
Leska blinked slowly.  
  
"Leska-chan, we're sisters. We're still blood. Nothing's changed. All these years haven't changed anything. I still love you. I've always loved you."  
  
The woman still lay cringing in the corner. Katsumi could still see the fear in her eyes. The blonde woman had never seen her sister this terrified before. She couldn't figure out why she was so afraid. They'd finished their job and now they wanted to take her along with them. They wanted to take the woman away from this place. Why was she so afraid. They didn't mean her harm... Didn't she still love her sister?  
  
"Leska." Naro said softly. "Come with us, please. Follow us. We don't want to hurt you. I didn't want to kill you, Leska. You've been innocent in this entire ordeal. You've got a home now. A place to live. I-I know a guy who'll gladly take you in. No one cares about what you've done, or who you did things to. We want you to come with us. We want you to be happy. Come with us. Don't stay here and die. Don't end your life like this."  
  
Slowly, Leska narrowed her eye. Naro could feel that familiar buzz inside of his head. Her fear was fading; she was reading his thoughts, she'd suddenly remembered. Sitting up in Naro's arms Katsumi stretched out her arm as far as it would go.  
  
"I'm not leaving here without you Onee-chan. I'm not leaving here with out you by my side. We made a promise we would go together. Hand in hand we would leave this place. I almost broke it today, but now that you're here I won't, I can't. Either I'm going to die with you in my arms or we're going to escape this place together. There's no other way about it."  
  
Naro turned to her in shock but said nothing. She was serious. He could see it in her tired eyes. She wasn't going to leave her sister. Nothing he could say would change that. He turned to Leska.  
  
'Come with us Jade...Let's get out of here...'  
  
  
The pale woman stared at her sister's hand a moment longer. Then, very slowly, she rose to her feet. Katsumi's face broke into a smile.  
  
"Jade-chan..."  
  
Slowly and unsure Leska took a step forward. Naro was sincere, his thoughts were pure. He believed in her sister. Leska still remembered back in their first years. She remembered how both of them had been. One had been kind and heart warming, one who would bend over backwards for any of her sisters. The other had been small and shy. Reserved and held back.  
  
Even thought the years had added a few inches to their heights they had borne their souls lower and lower. They changed. The small shy woman that Katsumi had once been faded. The pure and kind woman that had once been Leska died. There were no illusions in Leska's mind. She knew that the woman she had once been was dead and would never come back. The woman that Katsumi had once been was gone as well.  
  
Ghenna had torn them apart. He'd destroyed them. But now even he was dead and with him the woman that Leska had once been was also dying. She needed that man in order to survive. She fed off of his hatred and rage. She needed his rage and ambition. As Leska slowly made her way forward she could feel things starting to change. She going to change once more. Her fear was fading away, her distrust was slowly moving out of her body. Her sister and this Gray Eye had just opened a door for her. For the first time in a long time she could see light coming through this door. She could see hope at the end of her tunnel.  
  
She didn't want to die. She didn't want to go to her grave yet. She wanted to live. Leska and this man were there for her. Maybe... just maybe...  
  
Slowly Leska reached out for her sister's hand. Katsumi smiled.  
  
"You can make yourself Onee-chan. We can start over."  
  
Slowly their hands came closer and closer together.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"I won't leave them Faust! I'm not going to let them slip away again!"  
  
Whirling back to the glass Otaru pursed his lips and did his best to blink back the tears.  
  
"I'm not leaving you!! I'm not leaving alone!"  
  
Bloodberry shook her head.  
  
"Get out Otaru! Just get out of here! Run, you don't have much time left! We don't have any time left! Just go!!"  
  
"I'm not leaving you!!" He screamed back.  
  
Cherry shook her head. "Go! Otaru leave! Lime wanted you to be safe, WE want you to leave. Get out of here!"  
  
"Why aren't you listening to me?! I said I AM NOT LEAVING YOU!!!"  
  
Bloodberry closed her eyes.   
  
"Go Otaru..." her voice became soft. "Please. You're the only one who'll remember all these years. Please go."  
  
Cherry pressed her forehead on the glass. Her eyes had fallen. "We'll always be with you Otaru. We'll never leave you. You're going to carry us with you forever. We'll always be in your heart..."  
  
Smashing his fist against the glass Otaru screamed.  
  
Both of the maidens leaned forward. They spoke together one last time to their master, their love. Their voices rang out in unison, their eyes reflected the same sadness, their hearts beat at the same tempo, the same rhythm...  
  
  
"Aishiteru, Otaru..."  
  
  
The hysterical young man didn't feel it when Faust brought his fist down onto the back of his neck. His screams cut off abruptly as he passed into unconsciousness. His body, already pushed well beyond its limits, succumbed gratefully to the darkness.  
  
Bloodberry and her sister watched their master fall. Turning away they could almost hear his body strike the floor. Turning back they saw Hanagata pick up his love from the deck of the lock. Once more Cherry placed her hand against the glass. Hanagata looked up and met her eyes.  
  
"Take care of him Hanagata. It looks like you won..."  
  
The little man swallowed. Blinking back tears he pressed his palm against the glass to hers. He shook his head.  
  
"I will..."  
  
Slowly Cherry smiled. Bloodberry nodded.  
  
"Keep him happy Hanagata, otherwise my ghost will come back and kick your ass."  
  
Wiping his eyes dry he smiled. Faust slowly turned and opened the lock behind them. There, sitting proudly on the deck, sat the Spera. The leader of Gartlant turned and nodded to the maidens behind the glass. Each of the saber dolls went up to the glass.  
  
"Sayonara...Bloodberry-chan...Cherry-chan..."  
  
"I'm going to miss you all...I'm going to miss all of you..."  
  
"Thank you...Thank you for everything... Onee-chan..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Just as the two hands were about to come together Leska turned her head to the darkness at the other end of the room. There was a sudden crack in the air. Suddenly, Katsumi's hand disappeared in a shower of blood. Screaming in pain the maiden pulled what was left of her hand back. Naro spun and turned to Katsumi's hand. It was gone. She was cradling a bleeding stump.  
  
"What- What the hell?!" He turned to scream at Leska. What the hell was she doing?! Why was she hurting her own sister?! There was another crack and something struck the control consoles above Naro's head. He covered himself just in time to shield against the rain of sparks that fell.   
  
"The hell?!"  
  
Leska's face became grave as she rose to her full height. Staring into the shadows she shook her head slowly. It couldn't be...  
  
A figure detached itself from the shadows and slowly strode forward. Naro looked up and his eyes went wide. It was Ghenna... but then he was young... And he looked like Leska...  
  
"What on..."  
  
It was a young man. He looked only to be a tad younger than Otaru. He wore a wicked grin on his face. He looked like a cross between Leska and Ghenna. In his hands he held a high caliber pistol.  
  
Naro slowly rose up. "What the fuck is this?"  
  
The pale woman became even whiter as she saw the boy walk towards them. He turned down to Katsumi with scorn on his face.  
  
"Stupid, whimpering bitch!" he spat. "I guess that's what you get."  
  
Leska shook her head. "L-Lucien..."  
  
"Shut up!" He turned and pointed the gun at the woman. "Just shut up you worthless little whore. A fine job you did protecting father!"  
  
Naro blinked. "F-father!? Who the hell are you?!"  
  
The kid grinned and spread his arms. "I'm the first naturally born child on this planet, thank you very much."  
  
The Gray Eye shook his head. "N-naturally born?"  
  
The boy narrowed his eyes. "Unlike you test tube freaks, I'm the only one who has a father AND a mother. Born and bred, pure and natural."  
  
The Gray Eye knelt beside Katsumi who was whimpering softly cradling her bleeding arm.  
  
"I don't believe it. Who, who's your mother, eh? Who's your father?!"  
  
The boy hefted the gun once more. "You don't listen do you? That man you pinned to the wall was my father. And my mother? Huh! This sick and pale creature here carries that name." He pointed to Leska.  
  
Leska's face hardened. "Lucien..."  
  
"Shut up woman. You have no right to talk to a man." Naro saw her wilt away from her son. He turned to Lucien and scowled. The rumors that had been floating around had been true... Ghenna did carry a child with Leska...  
  
"Pity you aren't a man, little boy!"  
  
The boy scowled. "Oh, real funny Gray Eye. You're a real joker. I can't believe a piece of shit like you killed Ghenna."  
  
"Just doing what the women helped me to."  
  
"Ha!" the boy began to chuckle. "I'm surprised they aren't dead yet. Ghenna's maiden chips must be broken or something."  
  
Naro narrowed his eyes. "Maiden chips? What the hell do they have to do with anything?"  
  
"They never told you, did they?" Lucien smiled. "If any of the women kills Ghenna every woman on Terra II who has a maiden chip dies. The chipsets explode."  
  
"What..."  
  
"Why don't you think my worthless mother killed Ghenna the first chance she had? Ghenna had a device inside of his body that was meant to detonate all the maiden chips with in it's range when a carrier of one killed him. She would have killed not only herself, but her sister as well. Poor little Katsumi...Poor, poor little girl. They were all lucky you stabbed the old bastard. You don't have a chipset to activate that device he had."  
  
The boy broke out laughing. Naro scowled. This was what Katsumi had been trying to tell him...  
  
"You little shit! This isn't funny!"  
  
"On the contrary, Gray Eye, this is hilarious. My father is dead. Now it is my turn to rise into his place. I will make this kingdom shine once more. And you, the man who so graciously killed him, will be shot for treason. Then I will create more women of my own. I will move, grow and conquer. I will put my pitiful father to shame! I'll kill anyone that gets in my way."  
  
"I still don't see what was so funny."  
  
The boy grinned maliciously. "You, who thought everything was finally over and who thought things were going to be Ok will now die at my very hands. How's that for luck?"  
  
Slowly Katsumi looked up at the boy. Her face wore a terrible scowl.  
  
"You terrible, terrible little brat! You disgust me. You're a spoiled rotten."  
  
The boy raised the gun and pointed it at Katsumi. "Regardless, right now I have the power to decide who lives and who dies now. No one can stop me anymore. I am God."  
  
"You are nothing..." The blonde woman said weakly.  
  
Lucien grinned like a gargoyle. "You are dead woman. Goodbye."  
  
The sound of gun fire filled the room once more. Lucien's aim was true.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Everyone filed out of the airlock one at a time. Silently they proceeded out hearts heavy at what they were leaving behind. Hanagata, carrying Otaru, out went last. He turned and met the eyes of the women one last time. He locked gazes with Cherry, then Bloodberry for one final moment. Softly, Bloodberry nodded. Hana gave a slow one in return.  
  
"Sayonara."  
  
And with that the airlock door slammed shut. He was the last person to ever see the two women alive. Looking away and biting back the tears he turned and headed to the ship. Naro must have been right. He could see Faust working the controls inside the ship. The engines were powering up.  
  
"WARNING: ESTIMATED TWO MINUTES UNTIL STATION DESTRUCTION."  
  
Swallowing heavily he turned and walked to the starship. ...He won? It was an empty victory.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"KATSUMI!!"  
  
Naro screamed and pulled the woman to him hoping to move her out of the way of the bullet. Unfortunately Lucien's aim was perfect. There was nothing Naro could have done to move the woman out of the way of the bullet. He was too late.  
  
Katsumi's eyes went wide as she saw the bullet approach. Time seemed to slow down. She could see the spinning point of lead slowly making its way to her body. She watched helplessly as the bullet came closer and closer. The closer it came the slower it seemed to travel...  
  
Suddenly it struck her- The bullet really was slowing down.  
  
She blinked as the spinning lead tip came to a stop about a foot from her chest. She turned to Naro and saw the look of shock on his face. He was seeing the same thing. The bullet hovered only a foot from Katsumi's heart spinning rapidly. It had been stopped. Lucien gaped in shock. What the hell was this!? Katsumi blinked almost dumbly. She didn't stop the bullet...  
  
A sound to his their left cause Katsumi and Naro to turn. There, laying on the floor, was the mask that Leska had been forced to wear. She dropped it. The pale woman walked forward, away from the vile thing. For the first time in his entire life Naro saw both of the dead eyes the woman was famous for. Her face was perfect. There wasn't a scar or blemish on the entire surface- it was a testimony to the endoskeleton she bore. It had healed her to perfection.  
  
Katsumi gasped. Her face was whole once more. The long, jet-black hair was a startling contrast to her pale features. The woman's shining blue eyes came alive. A scowl filled her face. Naro could see fire burning inside her.  
  
The bullet, that had held its place in front of Katsumi for so long, began to dissolve into dust. The woman watched it fall and break apart into nothing right in front of her.  
  
"You may be my child..." Leska spoke slowly. A ringing began to fill the air. "But you will never be my son!"  
  
Lucien began to blink and shake his head.   
  
"What the hell? Cut that out! Stop that now! Know who you're talking to!!"  
  
As Leska walked past a console the entire unit exploded. It wasn't just the screen, or a few key boards like before. The entire console unit exploded shooting metallic shards and glass everywhere. None of the shards came close to Naro or Katsumi.  
  
"I know who I'm talking to!" She spat back. "I'm talking to a heartless and cruel little boy. I'm talking to an uncaring little wretch!"  
  
"Don't you call me a wretch, bitch!!"  
  
"Shut up!!" Another console exploded into a plume of fire. "You have no right to speak! You have no right to say any more!! I've put up with you my entire life! I've watched you grow up, I've seen your heart sour! I've had enough! I'm sick of it!"  
  
The ringing became louder and the boy began to shake his head left and right.  
  
"I said shut the hell up woman!!"  
  
He began to fire the pistol at the woman. Naro watched as the bullets all came to a stop in front of the psychic. She slowly waved her hand and each one of them exploded into dust.   
  
"Put that down!!"   
  
The ringing became intense and Lucien began to scream. A moment later the arm holding the gun exploded in a shower blood.  
  
"GAAAAAAAAAH!!!" The boy screamed and held what was left of his arm up at the joint. He slipped and fell hard. Katsumi turned away. The spoiled young man's blood was pooling on the floor.  
  
"I am doing this because it is the right thing to do. You are a blemish, Lucien! You are the last thing here holding me down. You are the last part of my past that I need to cleanse."  
  
The boy moaned agony and pushed himself away from the demoness approaching him.  
  
"You're black. You tried to do the one thing I would never have allowed myself to do no matter what Lord Ghenna would have sent me."  
  
Lucien felt himself back up against the wall. His mother stood over the young man and pointed her palm at him.  
  
"You tried to kill my sister." Lucien looked up at the angry face of the woman above him and saw something he'd never seen before. Two crystal clear pearls ran their way down her face. She was crying...  
  
"Tell your father when you see him that I am going to live free for the first time in my entire life. Sayonara Lucien."  
  
The ringing became louder and louder. Lucien gripped his head and began to scream.  
  
"No! no, mother! Please! Don't!! NO!! GAH- AAAA-"  
  
There was a sudden snap in the air and Lucien fell silent. The young man fell over, his pupils contracted, his body limp. Leska had killed him. The last of Ghenna's legacy had just died. Katsumi turned to Naro and buried her face into his clothing.  
  
"Naro..."  
  
The Gray Eye turned to the woman.  
  
"Katsumi... your arm..."  
  
The woman looked down at her broken appendage. The bleeding had already stopped.  
  
"I... I think it's going to be all right..."  
  
"There's blood everywhere... It's all over you, all over your clothes..."  
  
The woman turned to Gray Eye and smiled. "Naro... I'll be fine."  
  
He looked at her and frowned a moment. Nodding his head he bent down and gently lifted her up.  
  
"As you say... May I ask you something?"  
  
"Mmm?" As the adrenaline she slowly fell back into exhaustion.   
  
"Why did you start warming up to me all of a sudden?"  
  
The woman smiled. "You came back for me. You almost died for me..."  
  
Leska slowly walked back to the rest.  
  
"It's done..." she said slowly. Naro nodded slowly.  
  
"Then let us get out of here..."  
  
Overhead the Alarm went off for the last time.  
  
"WARNING. CORE MELTDOWN IS IMMENENT. ALL PERSONEL EVACUATE. CORE MELT DOWN IS IMMINENT. WARNING."  
  
Leska's eyes went wide. "We don't have time! The nearest pod is too far away!"  
  
Naro turned to Katsumi but found her to be asleep. The exhaustion had finally gotten the better of her.  
  
"Leska!!"  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Slowly the Spera pulled away from the massive floating city. Hanagata buckled Naro into one of the seats and took an adjoining one.   
  
"Faust? How do you know how to fly this thing?"  
  
The blonde man smiled slightly. "Memories. I've piloted more ships than I can even remember"  
  
Out side the cockpit window Hanagata watched as fire began to bubble out from the central part of the city.  
  
"When that thing crashes into the planet..."  
  
"It won't." Faust said calmly. "Those reactors will pretty much evaporate the entire city."  
  
Hanagata strapped himself in and braced himself. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.  
  
"Women...God dammed women..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska pulled Naro and her sister close.  
  
"Hang on Hajima. Hang on tightly. Don't let my sister go."  
  
The Gray Eye, becoming confused, nodded slowly.  
  
"Hai..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Gently Bloodberry and her sister Cherry held one another. The entire lock was starting to tremble and shake. They knew the reactors were just about to blow. This was it.  
  
"Time to visit Lime..." Bloodberry said softly. Cherry buried her face into her sister's bosom and sniffed back tears as best she could.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Leska closed her eyes and brought her hands together. A light began to emanate from her body. Naro watched as a globe of energy spread from the light and encompassed himself and Katsumi.  
  
"What..."  
  
The only ones witness to this was the dead boy against the far wall and Ghenna, still pinned to the wall. His eyes, once famous for their glitter and shine were now flat. Never again would they catch the light and sparkle. They were dead, now and forever.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
In a flash the reactor space exploded. The fires traveled up the piping and through the entire station. Bloodberry and Cherry held each other tightly one last time before the flames enveloped the entire chamber. Piece by piece the entire city that had once been the pride and joy of the Mesopotamian kingdom exploded. The fires ran their way up Gheddon, Ghenna's once terrible tower, the truest sign of his power, and exploded. Suddenly everything in the station seemed to dim. Then, in one powerful blast, the station exploded to dust in one powerful blast of light and energy.  
  
Faust had been correct. When the station exploded the fires consumed almost everything. Nothing really survived. In Japoness it was nighttime. The old man who ran the shop Otaru used to look at stepped out side to see a rain of comets fall from the sky. The terrible satellite that had just been up there had blown up. The old man smiled and watched the beautiful firestorm decorating the sky. Countless little fireballs streaked across the night sky.  
  
The man who sold candy to all the children looked up and grinned. The Black Omen that had hovered in the sky was gone. Emperor Leyasu had told all the people of Japoness to try and ignore the giant floating city in the sky; to go about their lives and normally as they could. He said they would try their best to get rid of it, what ever it was. People did do their best to go on as best they could, but the massive thing turned the entire city form a happy and thriving place to a place full of fear and foreboding. Over a week ago strange people with guns tore through the city while massive, terrifying sky-ships prowled above searching the ground for something.  
  
The candy man smiled. He was glad the evil thing was finally gone. Leyasu had been true to his word. Watching the sky smiling he saw something peculiar. An orb, a bright, shimmering, sky-blue orb was descending from the sky. It seemed to float down like a feather from the stars. Walking out into the street he watched the shining blue ball gently fall closer and closer. The other people on the street turned and pointed to it as well. What was that?  
  
The man took a step back as the orb came closer and closer. It looked like it was going to settle on his street! Everyone stepped back and watched the brightly shining orb hover down to the ground. The entire street lit up as the sphere settled. The man took another step back and shielded his eyes. The orb was getting brighter!  
  
In a flash and a shimmer the entire thing exploded in light and then suddenly disappeared. Everyone on the street turned away to protect their eyes from the blinding light. When they turned back, they saw the last thing they'd expected. A marionette stood on the ground. She was gorgeous. Her skin was pale, eyes a shimmering blue, her hair, raven. She wore all black clothing that caught the wind and waved gently in the breeze.  
  
Beside her knelt a man holding a second marionette that seemed to be...  
  
  
...be bleeding...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Hanagata sat silently in the cockpit of the ship. That was it. It was all over. They were dead... He leaned back and looked over to Otaru. Even while out cold the young man looked saddened. It was as if he knew exactly what had just happened...  
  
Hanagata closed his eyes. All the women that he had hated not too long ago were now dead. The women who had threatened to take his love away were gone forever. Not too long ago he would have prayed and hoped for this moment. Not to long ago he would have hoped for this very moment. They were gone, Otaru was his. He would never see those blasted women ever again...  
  
He opened his eyes once more and stared out the window. Funny... all those feelings felt like he'd felt them so long ago. They seemed so foreign... He would have done just about anything right then and there to see those women, to have had them there with him. They'd changed him. Their love changed Hanagata Mitsurugi. Shaking his head he looked out the window one last time.  
It was such an empty victory... Such an empty and cold victory...  
  
"Goodbye Cherry, Bloodberry... Lime..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The ship who's name had been Latin for hopes slowly re-entered the atmosphere of Terra II. The mighty kingdom of Mesopotamia had fallen. Ghenna, lord of it all, was dead. Three maidens who had sacrificed their lives for the one man they loved more than anything else in the world were gone. For some, the nightmare had finally ended. The sun would rise and they would find that it was all over. They could finally wake up to the morning. But one small, little man who had done nothing but fight with everything in his body to save the three women he loved more than his own life would wake up to find that his nightmare was just beginning...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
I am so high, I can hear heaven!  
I am so high, I can hear heaven!  
Whoa but heaven...  
...No heaven don't hear me.  
  
And they say that A HERO can save us!  
I'm not gonna stand here and wait!   
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles!  
Watch as they all fly away...  
  
  
Someone told me love will all save us...  
But how can that be? Look what love gave us!  
A world full of killing... and blood-spilling,  
That world never came!  
  
And they say that A HERO can save us!  
I'm not gonna stand here and wait!  
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles,  
Watch as they all fly away!!  
  
  
Now that the world isn't ending, its love that I'm sending to you...   
It isn't the love of a hero, and that's why I fear it won't do...  
  
  
And they say that A HERO can save us,  
I'm not gonna stand here and wait!!  
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles!!   
Watch as they all fly away!!  
  
And they're watching us!  
(Watching us)  
They're watching us!  
(Watching us!)  
As they all fly away.  
  
And they're watching us!  
(Watching us)  
They're watching us!  
(Watching us!)  
As we all fly away.  
  
And they're watching us!  
(Watching Us)  
They're watching us!  
(Watching us!)  
As they all fly away.  
  
Whooaaaa whoooaa...  
  
~Hero  
Nickleback, Feat. Josey Scott  
Spider-Man Soundtrack  
  
  
Contact at The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com 


	7. Epilogue: Light at the End of the Tunnel

This is the last part of my story. My Epilogue. I'd like to finish this up by saying that I'm dedicating this whole sucker to my bud and editor Vik-man. I'm heading off to boot camp and I may never see you again. I just wanna let you know it's been a pleasure knowing you. I don't care if this seems rushed (which it is), or if you never really cared for the story, Vik, This is for you man. I'm gonna miss your ass. Peace man. Thanks for all the fish.  
  
Shout out to Chii-Chan. For giving me a hand here at the end. He'll be taking all my calls for a little while so a thanks to him.  
  
Hell, while I'm at it, thanks to you to as well reader man/ma'am. If you've gotten this far I'm glad and I hope you enjoy the rest. Please send comments, complaints and flames to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com .   
  
[NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru...   
  
Every time Lime saw his face in her mind's eye she would feel a warmth pass through her.  
  
Her Otaru...  
  
She wasn't afraid. She wasn't ashamed. Her entire life hadn't been wasted. While she lived she made a single man happier than he had ever been in his entire life. She'd touched a heart and opened its' eyes. She'd shared her happiness and shared it from others in return.  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Lime closed her eyes one last time. Her shivering had all but stopped. The muscles were frozen solid. Her smile still softy etched on her face...  
  
She had only one regret. She would have loved to live longer with Otaru. She would have loved to become a mother.   
  
A mother...  
  
Lime would have loved to bear a child of her own and raise it with her Otaru... That would have made her very happy...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Otaru...  
  
Her heart finally stopped. Her mind was fast becoming numb. The last she ever saw in her thoughts was Otaru's face. The sun was shining and Lime could tell it was warm outside. Behind him fields of rice waved green and shimmered in the afternoon light. He had his large rice hat cocked back and was rubbing his arm across his forehead wiping the sweat away. His face was lit up in a warm, happy smile. He was smiling at her...  
  
A single tear lay frozen along her eye. In the zero gravity it had frozen itself away from her face rather than down her cheek. It stayed there like a tiny, misshapen icicle reaching out from her eyes to the stars, to the warmth that lay beyond, to her Otaru...  
  
  
Aishiteru, Otaru...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Gently Bloodberry and her sister Cherry held one another. The entire lock was starting to tremble and shake. They knew the reactors were just about to blow. This was it.  
  
"Time to visit Lime..." Bloodberry said softly. Cherry buried her face into her sister's bosom and sniffed back tears as best she could.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
In a flash the reactor space exploded. The fires traveled up the piping and through the entire station. Bloodberry and Cherry held each other tightly one last time before the flames enveloped the entire chamber...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Saber Marionette J  
Dark's AU- Human  
Epilogue- Light at the end of the tunnel  
"What she gave to me"   
  
  
Some people live in the past, some spend their whole lives trying to predict the future... I myself think that we should all live in the moment, setting our future, and leaving our past where it belongs... in the past...  
  
~Eric Bell  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru leaned back on the bench outside the marionette repair shop and smiled. It had been another long workday, but at least the weather outside remained good. Smiling he pulled out a small package of food and began to munch on it. In the crystal clear skies above the birds flew to and fro. The clouds framed the beautiful scene as a soft breeze blew through the street. People walked up and down the crowded way smiling and running and dancing. Men stood by and watched as little boys and little girls dashed around the packed streets. The shops were open, the day was bright and a cheerful mood prevailed in the air. It was indeed another fine day in Japoness.  
  
The young man turned when he heard his boss calling to him. It was that crusty old marionette repairman. He'd let Otaru keep his job after his extended absence some time ago when he learned he was part of the reason the Black Omen that had been in the skies had been destroyed and why there were now little girls running about with all the young boys.   
  
Not that Otaru really needed the money. Old Faust, who was still going strong over in Gartlant, paid for anything and everything Otaru ever needed. He worked only because he would go stir crazy if all he did was sit at home all day and night. Otaru didn't need much anymore. He still had his old apartment in the same lot, he always had plenty of food, and clothing came cheap now a days.  
  
Walking back inside the shop Otaru went into the back room.  
  
"What'cha need?"  
  
The old repairman was sitting behind a large farming drill working on the complicated electronic equipment. It was rare when someone came in with a doll anymore. People were adopting and raising real little girls of their own. The only ones who had dolls were shop owners who used them to work around the business or the city who employed them to do the undesirable jobs. The old man had to adapt to the times or die. Now he was a standard fix all and his business was doing even better than before.  
  
"Nothing any more Otaru." He said peering through his spectacles perched on his nose. "I'm good for the day. You can go home now, get some rest."  
  
The young man smiled. "Yessir. I'll see you tomorrow unless something comes up."  
  
The old man chuckled. "You always say that and nothing ever does. I will see you tomorrow Otaru."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Whistling happily Otaru made his way home. The young man had really grown in the three years since the 'Black Omen' (as everyone called it) fell from the sky. He was taller, leaner, and stronger. His eyes had a glint in them that hadn't been there before. His hair was the same, however, and his clothes changed little over the years.  
  
The first six months had been hell on Terra for him. Every night dreams haunted him. Terrible dreams about what happened. Images and frames of his women dying every night. Otaru nearly lost it. It was really Hanagata who had pulled him through it all. The blonde man stayed by his side every single night and was there to make sure Otaru always had somebody to be there with. Not once did the man make a pass at him. He was being as best a friend as he could possibly have made himself be.  
  
At first Otaru had been bitter about it. He hated Hana's company. He hated him always being around. He hated a lot of things then. Faust's maidens lived. Each and everyone of them pulled through and survived. Why didn't his? Didn't his deserve life as much as Faust's? His fought just as bitterly and just as hard. What the hell happened?  
  
Despite this Hanagata stayed with Otaru. He stayed through his fits of anger and rage, he stayed through his long nights and painful days. Hanagata never left Otaru's side. Eventually he broke through Otaru's anger. With his help, Otaru overcame the pain and rage. He overcame the anger and bitterness. Slowly, as time passed, Otaru healed. He started to eat once more. He started to work once more. Once more he went out to fish. Once more he went out to watch the fireworks. Once more he learned how to smile.  
  
He owed Hanagata so much, but the blonde little man just shrugged it all off. He was keeping his word was all that he ever told Otaru. He was keeping his word. The years passed and Otaru began to move on. He began to understand that he had tried everything in his power to save them. That he had tried all he could to save those maidens. He began to understand that they had died so that he may go on and live happy one day. They would have been proud to learn that their efforts hadn't been in vain. Otaru overcame and went on. Every once and a while he still had the odd nightmare, but things were getting better.  
  
Faust and his maidens were delighted to learn that their sisters and Naro had made it out alive after all. Leska had become a changed woman. The evil that had lived and harbored itself in her soul had finally left her. Katsumi had been wounded. She'd lost her right hand. Naro wasn't sure what would happen to her. She hadn't looked too good when they finally left onboard the Spera for home. What they left behind would shape the future of the planet forever. Leska had known, for the longest time, how to extract the DNA data stored in the maiden chips and how to disarm the explosives in them. She never used it because of Ghenna. She would never have risked disarming any of them less her Lord found out. He would have killed her simply for knowing. After he broke her and tore down her resolve none of the information mattered anymore.  
  
The DNA strings that had been extracted were the complete codes for female DNA. All the kingdoms of Terra II took the codes and soon female babies were finally born. They were all almost three years old now and were the most beautiful things anyone had ever seen.  
  
Since they left, Otaru heard nothing from Naro or the women. It's been three years. Hanagata still lived in the same apartment next door to Otaru. He still burst into Otaru's room every morning. He'd since resumed his tireless effort to woo his only love. Otaru simply turned the other cheek. Hanagata was a good friend, probably the best anyone could ever have, and nothing more. He simply wasn't ready for a full-blown relationship with him yet. He gave the same excuse every time. Otaru always said he was 'waiting for something'. As to what that was Hana had no idea.  
  
Life had finally returned to normal. Things were returning to the way they were before. The addition of the little girls along with the little boys really didn't change very much. They were all still too young to bear children of their own yet. They were just like the boys right now.  
  
Otaru came to his building and stopped. The memories this place still carried...  
  
He smiled and looked up and along the rooftop, down along the side door and around to the front. He walked around back and chuckled. There still was that huge pile of Maiden's Heart Lime had collected laying back there in a storage box. They had all since dried, but Otaru kept them around for the women of the town who needed some and for the soft, sweet fragrance they gave off. It was the last gift Lime and Cherry ever got for him...  
  
The wood pile was still there, neglected as always. Otaru had recently sprung for an electric heater from Faust's funds he received all the time. Only once and a while would he bother cutting wood and throwing it onto the fireplace. The fresh smell and the special warmth a fire gives off motivated him from time to time whenever he wanted a change.  
  
Turning slowly he headed back to the front of the apartment. Gripping the door handle tightly he started to open it.  
  
"Otaru..."  
  
The man stopped and turned. That voice. Behind him stood a figure. It was draped head to foot in a long and flowing, majestic blue coat. It's boots, shiny and black protruded out just from under the edges of it. A hood was pulled over the head of the figure hiding the face from the sun.   
  
"Mamiya, Otaru..."  
  
Otaru narrowed his eyes. This figure... Softly the he smiled.  
  
"It's been three long years... Naro?"  
  
Pulling the hood back and flashing a broad smile, Keinaro grinned down to the younger man.  
  
"Five for me, Otaru. It's been a long while."  
  
Otaru grinned and walked over to his old friend.  
  
"You fool!" He said with a laugh. "How are you doing? What's been happening?"  
  
Naro's grin widened in return.  
  
"Same old, same old, Otaru" He said walking forward and embracing his friend. Otaru held Naro tightly and laughed.  
  
"You ass! It's been such a long time."  
  
The Gray Eye pulled away shaking his head.  
  
"Hehe. Sorry I couldn't have stopped by sooner. Things are changing in the past. So many things and so little time!"  
  
Chuckling Otaru motioned to the door.  
  
"Quickly, Let's step inside Naro. It's going to get hot out here. I've got some drinks for us."  
  
"Yes, please." The Gray Eye said wiping his brow. "I'm starting to feel that heat."  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't be wearing such clothes, Naro."  
  
The Gray Eye laughed.  
  
"They come with my new title. Let's take a seat inside, shall we?"  
  
Otaru nodded and turned to the door. He stopped when a separate voice called to him.  
  
"Otaru! Otaru! You're home early today!"  
  
The man turned and met the eyes of a very old, gray haired man. Hoisted on his back was a pack carrying something.  
  
"Gennai! How is everything old man?"  
  
Old Man Gennai's eyes shone. "Everything's good Otaru. Umm, I assume you want to pick up..."  
  
"Yeah, of course!"  
  
Chuckling the small, old man un-slung his backpack and turned it around. Naro's eyes widened. There, sitting right inside, peeking out from under the lid of the pack was a baby. Gennai pulled the child out and smiled.  
  
"Here you go Otaru. Safe and sound."  
  
Smiling he took the child into hid arms. It's eyes sparkled upon seeing Otaru and it reached out with its small hands holding a bright smiled on its face. Laughing she called out to him.  
  
"Papa! Papa!!"  
  
Grinning he pulled the child close and gave it a small kiss.  
  
"How was she?" He asked looking down at Gennai. The old man beamed.  
  
"Just like a ray of sunshine, Otaru. She wasn't any problem at all."  
  
Otaru grinned and held the little girl to his body.  
  
"You didn't give the smelly, old man any problems did you?"  
  
The child shook her head.  
  
"Papa! Papa home early."  
  
He smiled. "Yes I am! Papa got a break from work."  
  
He turned to Gennai and grinned.  
  
"Thank you for taking care of Maribelle-chan for me."  
  
"Anytime, Otaru. Anytime." The old man walked up and tickled the little girl's cheek. "She's always welcome in my home."  
  
Naro just gaped. Otaru was holding a little girl in his arms. Her eyes were bright green and her hair a shimmering purple. She had an innocent smile played across her slightly tanned features. She looked down at the awestruck Naro and pointed.  
  
"Papa! He has funny eyes. Look, look!"  
  
Otaru turned and smiled at Naro. He gently chided Marabelle.  
  
"Don't point now. It's not polite. Belle, I want you to meet a friend of mine."  
  
He walked over to Naro and grinned.  
  
"Naro, I want you to meet my little girl, Marabelle. Belle for short. Belle, this is an old, old friend of mine, Naro."  
  
Smiling nervously Naro reached out and gently shook the little girl's even smaller hand. Belle giggled up at him.  
  
"Hehe, funny eyes."  
  
Naro chuckled a bit. "Green eyed little squirt!"  
  
Otaru chuckled and turned. "Come on Naro. Let's go sit inside."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Peeking out from under the pile of coats and jackets Belle smiled sheepishly up to Otaru. The man was walking into the room carrying a few cups and a bottle of drink. He frowned down to his daughter.  
  
"Belle! You pulled Naro's coat right off the rack!"  
  
The Gray Eye chuckled. "No, no it's all right Otaru."  
  
Belle giggled under the coat and crawled deeper into the pile. Naro turned to his host and took a cup. Pouring some of the drink into Naro's cup Otaru took a seat. Naro tipped his glass to Otaru.  
  
"Listen, friend. I'm sorry about showing up out of the blue like this. I should have sent some forewarning."  
  
"Nonsense." Otaru took a sip. "It's perfectly fine. You're welcome to stop by here anytime Naro."  
  
"Hanagata still hang about this place?"  
  
"Yeah, he lives next door. He's away though. Something to do with his dad I believe."  
  
"Mmmm." Naro nodded.  
  
"So, Keinaro Hajima! What brings you back around these parts?"  
  
The Gray Eye smiled. He leaned back and let his clothing catch the light. He was wearing a uniform, dark blue from top to bottom and lined in gold. Bright gold buttons ran up and down the center glimmering in the light of the open window. He wore a few medals and a single bird adorned his left collar. It looked like the same one from the tattoo on his shoulder.  
  
"You did, Otaru. I wanted to come back to talk to ya. Catch up with ya."  
  
The younger man whistled at his friend's uniform.  
  
"Nice, Naro. Where did you pick these up?"  
  
"I guess it came with my position."  
  
"Position? You mean that title you mentioned earlier?"  
  
"Yup. Apparently there were still tons of starcraft and battle ships that were left behind in the wake of the, what did you guys call it, Black Omen? Ghenna had hundreds of them made and, well, they were still around in the past. Well to cut a long story short, I was put in charge of that fleet. I guess you can say I'm their leader. Apparently they figured since I killed their old one I was best suited for being the new one. They want me to lead the deep space colonization project."  
  
Otaru cocked an eyebrow. "The what?"  
  
"Deep space colonization. We're leaving Terra II. It was decided that it would be better for all if we left this planet and left life to move on by itself. We're going to blast the rest of our stations on the ground and pull out of this system. We're going to have a stable interstellar drive in about three years now."  
  
"Well, wait. What do you mean it would be for the best to leave? Who decided this?"  
  
"The last of us survivors decided. We figure it was about time we just left. Ghenna played God with you people for so long. He did a lot of damage. It was decided that time would be a better healer than we would ever be. So, we're going to pull out into deep space and look for a place where we can call home."  
  
He took a sip with an almost dreamy look in his eyes.  
  
"We just might even find our way back to Earth..."  
  
Otaru smiled. "Well... Congratulations then. I wish you the best out there."  
  
"We're going to need it. It's going to be a long trip..."  
  
Otaru chuckled. "No wonder you're not around in this time period anymore..."  
  
"Haha. I guess, huh? Isn't it strange how it all seems to come together?"  
  
"Heh, yeah I guess..."  
  
They paused while Otaru filled both of their cups.  
  
"Well, anyway, you look real good."  
  
"You don't look half bad yourself, Otaru." Naro said looking his host up and down. "You've grown... a lot. You don't seem so much like a child anymore."  
  
Otaru frowned while Naro broke out laughing.  
  
"No no no, Otaru that came out wrong. You seem a lot maturer than when I first met you. You're bigger and you look stronger, that's all."  
  
Otaru made a sour face and turned back to his drink. "Yeah, what ever Naro. So tell me, how are things back where you're from, apart from your promotion and the exodus?"  
  
Belle rolled about in the coat as Naro downed his cup. "Fine, fine. Everything's doing well. Katsumi turned out all right. Her hand's healed up."  
  
"Does she have a prosthetic one now?"  
  
"No, no, you misunderstand. It healed entirely. Her hand is back. It's perfectly functional and everything. It grew back!"  
  
Otaru furrowed his eyebrows. "What? How did that happen?"  
  
"It was her endoskeleton. I guess we all forgot how powerful the healing abilities that thing had really were. Leska's face, for example, had been damaged terribly in an explosion back when she was under Ghenna's power. She wore the mask to cover the wounds and the scars that formed. Well, the healing net in her body fixed up even those scars. Her face is as pure and as perfect as it was before."  
  
Otaru nodded. "That sounds incredible. How is she doing now a days?"  
  
"Well, For the longest time she went out on a trip all by herself. I guess she wanted to go out into the world and find herself. What Ghenna did to her scarred her soul pretty badly... She went out to find herself and heal those scars. I believe she was gone for almost three years. We didn't hear anything about her. Katsumi was worried sick, she thought something terrible had happened.  
  
"Eventually Leska did come back. When she did, she was a changed woman. The weight that had been on her soul when she left was gone. She was light hearted, kind, warm. She wasn't the demon I almost died to up in Ghenna's chambers. She's doing fine now. She's never been better."  
  
Otaru grinned. "And Katsumi? How is she doing?"  
  
Naro gave Otaru a very, very wide grin. "She's doing wonderfully. I didn't tell you, did I? We had a child, Otaru. I'm a daddy!"  
  
The young man almost choked on the Sake he was taking a sip of. "What?! Congratulations!! Congratulations Naro!! What his name?"  
  
"She's not a 'he'. Her name is Lorelei, you know, after the child genius who had been on board the original Mesopotamia. She's becoming so much like her mother. She makes me proud, she's so clever!"  
  
Otaru chuckled. "Wow, that's wonderful news Naro. I really mean it; congratulations. I'm surprised you two figured out how to create children in the first place."  
  
Naro smiled. "Ha! It sure as hell took us long enough. If Leska had been there we could have just asked her how it was done, but she was gone and seeing as there were no instruction manuals on what to do..."  
  
Otaru broke out laughing and shook his head. Naro bent an eyebrow.  
  
"S'not funny. Believe it or not Ghenna never took her. She betrayed him and he never deemed her worthy for it. It took US over three months to figure out not only HOW to do it, but when. Apparently there's a little matter of timing involved as well. I'm just lucky she didn't beat me up more for being so rough with her about it." He leaned back and cracked his spine. "I still got my own fare share of bruises though..."  
  
Otaru shook his head. " So you guys really figured it out, huh? What do you do?"  
  
Naro raised his cup and gave Otaru a wink.  
  
"You let me know when the time comes and I'll tell ya."  
  
Shaking his head Otaru set his glass down.  
  
"It sounds like everything's perfect for you Naro. Life must be good."  
  
"Good, yes. Yeah I guess life's been pretty good to me."  
  
Naro nodded slowly. "I'm glad to hear that Naro."  
  
"How about yourself friend? How have these past years been for you?"  
  
Slowly Otaru related to Naro the events since Naro left three long years ago. The Gray Eye sat silently saying nothing and drinking the alcohol his host provided him with. It was a lot to take in for Naro. Otaru had been hurt terribly. He'd lost the most important things he'd ever known and he was never going to see them again. His life had fallen apart.  
  
"But then, one year ago," He said softly. "I took a trip to the local orphanage. Hanagata said it would do me wonders to have someone here to keep me company. Someone to be there for me to love and to hold."  
  
He turned to Maribelle who was napping in the folds of the fallen coat. "He'd been right. I saw her there and I fell in love. She was sitting a little away from the rest of the group and watched them with the saddest, most innocent eyes I'd seen since Lime's. I took her home and here she's been, staying with me, keeping me company, healing my wounds.  
  
"I still love my Lime, my Cherry and my Bloodberry. I still miss them. It hurts to think about them and what they did for me, but everytime I look into Belle's eyes I thank them. I thank them for what they gave me and what it cost them. I love Belle. She keeps me sane. She gives me reason to be here. Bell gives me a reason to wake up every morning. For the first time since they gave up their lives for me, my life purpose."  
  
Otaru smiled to his little girl. "I know I can protect her. I know I will. I love her more than anything. Where I failed Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry I will succeed with Belle. In the memory of my own fallen angels I'll raise and keep safe the little one I have now."  
  
He fell quiet and neither one said a word. They both just watched the little girl sleep softly nestled in Naro's clothes. The Gray Eye broke the silence.  
  
"You're wrong Otaru."  
  
Turning to his friend the man raised his eyebrows. "About what?"  
  
Naro took a sip. "You've never failed anyone. You didn't fail Lime. You didn't let Cherry down. You were never too late for Bloodberry. They loved you. You were their master. You were their love. If you had ever failed them, none of us would be here right now. You promised what you could and did your best. You were always kind and loving to Cherry. You gave Bloodberry that one special night onboard the Spera, up on her deck. You almost killed yourself saving Lime's life. You failed no one. The only one who failed that night was Ghenna."  
  
Closing his eyes Otaru turned his head away. "I couldn't save them..."  
  
Naro shook his head. "They weren't the ones who needed saving, Otaru. It was the other way around. It was you who were saved by them. You'll realize in time, Otaru, that one man can only do so much. He can only do so much, but oh what he can do with that little bit he has. You gave everything in you to them. You gave them your heart, your soul, your love, your blood, and damn near your life. In return, they gave you love. Pure, impartial love, and their lives. They gave you the greatest gift any man or woman could possibly give another."  
  
He paused and took a sip from his glass.  
  
"I know it's easy for me to say this. I still have my own love to cherish and to hold. But I'm not blinded by grief. I can see just what you're missing. What you're trying to grasp from what happened.  
  
"But someday the veil will lift. You'll open your eyes and you'll see just what I mean. You'll truly know. Someday you'll see."  
  
Slowly he sipped the last of his glass and fell silent. Looked down into his cup, Naro smiled ever so slightly. Maribelle would show him. She would open his eyes, he was sure...  
  
For a minute neither side said anything. Eventually, Otaru looked up.  
  
"Hey, did you hear what's going to happen tonight?"  
  
"Tonight?"  
  
Otaru smiled. "There's going to be meteor shower tonight. It's supposed to be quite a sight. I'm taking Belle out to watch it. You want to come with us? We'd be glad to have you come along."  
  
Naro smiled and nodded his head.   
  
"It will be quite a sight."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Belle giggled at the show the sky was putting on for her.  
  
"Look there Belle! Did you see that bright one?"  
  
"Hehe. Papa, look at that one!"  
  
"Ohhh, that one was pretty..."  
  
"There goes another one!!"  
  
Naro sat on the blanket they placed on the ground in front of Otaru's home and watched the child giggle in her father's arms. She was so cute. She was so much like Bloodberry, Cherry and Lime...  
  
Naro's eye shot open and he rose.  
  
"Otaru! I almost forgot!."  
  
"Huh?" The man turned to Naro. The Gray Eye leapt up and turned to the house. He ran over to one of the awnings and reached under one of the tables set up there. Pulling out something he turned and walked back to Otaru. He was carrying...  
  
"Otaru." He said drawing close. "This was something I wanted to give to you. You'll never find these now 'days. They're gone..."  
  
He held out a plant and continued.  
  
"Lime loved these and now I hope that you will too."  
  
Otaru's eyes widened.  
  
"Naro..." He said breathlessly. "Is that..."  
  
The Gray Eye smiled. "It's a Lime Rose, Otaru."  
  
The man gaped at the beautiful little plant. The Lime Rose shimmered its pale yellow color in the soft moonlight. A breeze gently stirred its soft petals. Maribelle stared at the little rose with wonder in her soft, green eyes.  
  
"About sixty miles from an old cloning and research bunker out in the deserts I found a small rock formation. It was like a little, cool cave out in the midst of a burning desert. Outside the cave stood a lone Lime Rose. I plucked a rose, planted it and let it grow and cultivate on its own. It's grown its own roots and is now very strong. With roses of this stock, one might be able to replant the entire world, Otaru..." Naro said softly with glimmering eyes. "You know, just a thought..."  
  
Belle stared at the plant until she heard her father. Turning to his face she furrowed her little eyebrows.  
  
"Papa... You're crying..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Curled gently in his arms Maribelle slept. She was in the warmest, safest place in the entire world- The arms of her father. Gently Otaru rocked her back and forth while gazing into the sky. The little meteors shot to and fro across the starry expanse up above. He watched the sky letting the wind gently carry itself through the trees and over the soft grass.  
  
Naro watched the man silently leaning against the house. Poor Otaru... He fought so hard, bled so much, shed so many tears...  
  
Looking into the sky Naro shook his head.  
  
"Who's ever up there..." He said in silent prayer. "Take care of this guy. Keep him safe. Keep his child safe. Keep his house warm, his food hot, his nights restful and his days happy. You've done so much to him. Please, just keep him safe from now on. Protect them both. Who ever's up there pulling our strings, I beg of ya, watch over Otaru. Watch over my friend..."  
  
  
Gazing up into the skies Otaru began to think. He thought of his maidens all the time. They were always there, always in his thoughts. Sometimes, when he looked at the night sky it was just right and the stars were just perfect he could see them up there, looking down on him. Sometimes... Just sometimes he could see their pretty faces beaming their love down onto the little man standing below...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Holding Lime tightly from behind, watching the man below holding his little child, Kaiser smiled.  
  
"Look what you did. Look at who you died for..."  
  
Cherry and Bloodberry smiled. He was safe... he was happy...  
  
Lime giggled in Kaiser's arms. "We'll meet again someday."  
  
Kaiser laughed once more. "Are you happy Lime?"  
  
Looking up at the smiling face she closed her eyes and broadened her smile.  
  
"I'm in paradise..."  
  
Holding Kaiser's arms in return she sighed.  
  
"I'm happy..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Otaru held his daughter and smiled up at the stars. They were out there, somewhere. They were safe. Maybe someday...  
  
  
"Aishiteru Bloodberry... Cherry... Lime..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Slowly the night moved on. Maribelle snuggled deeper into her father's arms. The Lime Rose fluttered gently in the breeze. Naro smiled at his friend. Otaru watched the sky. The stars traced their path across the endless expanse...  
  
Smiling, Otaru let a single tear trace its way down his face. The future was theirs... Looking down into his arms Otaru smiled at his little girl.   
  
...And never before had it ever looked brighter.  
  
  
Slowly, out in the moonlight, the Lime Rose opened its petals. Embracing the light, the flower from which a single woman, who changed the world with her sisters, and who lived and died for her love, came to be known by, bloomed. Turning into the moon, the Lime Rose opened its petals and simply bloomed.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
tooku ni hikaru ano hoshi futari miagete  
kimi ni deatta unmei o omou  
nanigenai furide te no hira furete miru kedo  
kimi ha yasashiku hohoemi dakede  
  
kimochi ga tsuyoku naru to fuan no kazumo fuete yuku kara  
ichido dakishimeta kokoro ha donna toki mo hanasanai de  
  
hiroi uchyuu ni hitori dake no  
kimi ga soba ni ite kureru nara  
koware ta toki no hari mo yagate  
yukkuri ugokidasu mirai he  
kimi ha sono mamade ite  
  
nagareru hoshi ni negai o sotto tsubuyaku  
"Kimi to isshoni iraremasu youni..."  
kono jikan dake o GARASU no hako ni tojikomete  
zutto nagamete ire tara ii no ni  
  
yasashii kimi no egao fuan de kumo rasetakunai kara  
namidashita kunaru toki ni ha kono yozora o omoidasu yo  
  
hiroi uchyuu ni taata futari no  
shiawase no basho o mitsuketa ne  
koko ni aru no ha tsuki to hoshi to  
futari o tsutsumu yoru no kaze to  
kimi he no omoi dake  
  
tooi kuni kara tadoritsuita  
kimi ha ano hikaru hoshi Shooting Star  
taemanaku sou matataku youni  
mirai mo kimi mo dakishimeru to  
kono yozora ni chigau  
  
  
[English Translation]  
  
  
Together, looking up at that distantly shining star  
and thinking it was destined that we met,  
pretending to be casual, I try to touch your palm, but  
you only smile gently.  
  
Since these feelings are getting stronger and the number of worries are increasing,   
never let go of the heart you once embraced, no matter what happens.  
  
In this vast universe,   
if I can keep staying near just you alone,  
even though the clock-hand of broken time   
soon starts to move slowly toward the future,  
stay just as you are, just like this.  
  
I whisper this wish softly to the flowing stars:  
"I pray that I can always be with you..."  
Close up just this one part of time in a glass box,  
even though it would be better if it could always be seen.  
  
Since I don't want to make your gentle smile be clouded by worries,  
when I want to start crying, I think of this night sky.  
  
In this vast universe, we found the place   
where just the two of us can be happy, didn't we?  
Here there are moon and stars and  
the night wind that wraps the two of us up together and  
my feelings about you alone.  
  
You, who struggled here from that far country,   
are that shining star. Shooting Star  
Incessantly -- yes, like twinkling.  
I swear to this night sky,   
  
that I will embrace both you...   
  
...and the future.  
  
  
  
~Onegai Teacher  
"Shooting Star"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
To all my friends- I'm going to miss you guys. It's been a blast all these years. Here's to the life we all left behind. Take care you all. I wish you guys the best. For my tale, this is...  
  
  
The End.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
I hope each and everyone of you that have read up to this point enjoyed my story. Feed back to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com. I sincerely hope you enjoyed my little tale about three robots born instead as human beings in a world bent on destroying their hearts. This has been The Dark Phoenix. Take care all. Peace.  
  
============================================================================  
  
Hi all ^-^ . For those who don't know me, I'm the unknown and usually unsung editor. Don't worry though, its not The Dark Phoenix's fault, its mine. I didn't keep up to track with the fanfiction and fell behind. I hope you people enjoyed this work, and that you didn't shed to many tears. After reading this, I'm really glad that I showed Phoenix SMJ. I know that I really enjoyed it, and feel honored that I got to contribute to it, especially *gloating* this epilogue which came about when I took the two ideas that Phoenix had, and mashed them together. =3  
  
Chii-chan  
souken33@hotmail.com  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Contact: The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com   
  
Brought to you by:  
  
The Dark Phoenix  
Vik-Man  
Chii-chan (dude)  
  
Presented in:   
  
Panoramic Intellisound  
THX   
Dolby Digital  
Technicolor  
  
And the picture tube inside your head. 


End file.
